For some reason, “Lean on Me,” the old song by Bill Withers, has been running through my mind lately.
Lean on me,
When you’re not strong
And I’ll be your friend
I’ll help you carry on…
We all need someone to lean on.
A few phrases in the song strike me as somewhat profound. First, it talks about leaning, not being carried. It reflects the fact that I respect your capability and dignity to contribute to your own well-being. You are not utterly helpless. You have agency.
Second, it offers friendship, companionship—an I-get-you kind of relationship. It’s not offering to be your healer or your judge. It’s offering someone to walk along with you.
And third, it talks about “carry on”: that ability to take the next step and move forward, regardless of the pace or destination.
Maybe this should be the theme song of the Well Community. We are, after all, friends who sometimes lean on and sometimes are leaned upon. We are a group of friends who can be relied upon on hard days and can share in the good ones. We are a community that says to one another, “call me.”