"Wreck-It Ralph-ing"

I've been thinking about this for quite a while now, and really, I'm still not sure what it is I'm trying or even want to say. So if this gets a bit rambly, well, you know why. And yes, I know "rambly" isn't a real word.

A little while ago, I discussed the idea that we often don't really know what other people are going through and how they are dealing with life and life events. In some ways, this is a continuation on that theme, while still separate.

For lack of a better term, I'm going to call what I'm thinking about today "Wreck-It Ralph-ing." Not very smooth, I know, but it may help bring the idea across more smoothly. As you probably remember, Ralph is the guy who shows up to work each days, does his job well, then leaves. He seems like a pretty straight-forward type of person, focused on what he does, and proud of what he can do. He's also the guy that no one really knows, but wants to be known, just wants to be recognized as more than "that guy" and appreciated and a part of the world around him, not just another piece in it. So, "Wreck-It Ralph-ing" is being in that situation, where you're there, you see everyone else around you enjoying life, but you don't quite feel a part of it, etc.

Lost? Confused on what I'm trying to say? If so, that's perfectly fine, because I'm kind of lost, too. I think what's floating around my head isn't something that I'm going to be able to easily pin down, at least not for another month or two. My brain works that way, like a simmering pot. Eventually it'll boil, it just takes longer.

Anyway.

I think it's probably safe to say that we all have our days where we feel like we're just a part of the machine, that we are supposed to be there, but we don't necessarily fit in. We belong, but we're not a part. We watch and observe and think, but we don't really interact. Maybe we just haven't taken that step to reach out to others. Maybe others haven't reached out to us. And maybe, just maybe, we're not the only one feeling this way.

I can't speak for anyone else, because I've never lived anyone else's life. I only can speak from my experiences, and I can say, there have been times when I have felt this way. There, a piece of the whole, and yet still an outsider. Part of the group, but not one of the crew. A face you see in the hallway and say hello to, but not someone you think about past that. There are times when I have been right with those feelings, and there are times where I have been wrong to feel that way.

I can't say that there is any great solution to these feelings, or what causes them. Only that they are real. And that, I honestly believe, we all feel them at some point in our lives. To any and all who may be feeling that way, you are not alone in your feelings. We understand. I understand. Forgive me if I'm not great at helping to get rid of that feeling. But don't ever give up hope, either. We all belong somewhere. We are all important to someone, even if we have no idea that we are. Maybe someday we'll get lucky enough to realize it, too.