The Missing Tube

For fear is a call for love, in unconscious recognition of what has been denied.

— A Course in Miracles

      I heard about a fellow named Herman who was a television repairman in the 1950s. One day he was dispatched to service the TV of an old man named Jake, who lived alone. When Herman inspected Jake’s television, he found that it was missing a tube. Herman replaced the tube in a matter of minutes, and spent the next 20 minutes chatting amiably with Jake before he left for his next repair call.

      A week later Jake reported that his television was on the blink again, and Herman went to fix it. This time he discovered that a different tube was missing. Herman replaced it and chatted with Jake for a little while again.

      The following week Jake called the shop again and complained that his TV was not working. When Herman opened up the box, this time a different tube was missing. Finally Herman realized that Jake was removing the tubes. He was lonely, he wanted company, and a broken television was his way of getting Herman to visit him.

      You do not need to keep taking tubes out of your television to get the company you desire. You can ask for it directly. We all crave connection and go about getting it in different ways. Some of those ways are direct and skillful, and others roundabout and unconscious. Yet we are all seeking the same result.

      Take the initiative to create the intimacy you crave, and request the help you need. Reach out for friendship and tell the people you value that you would like their company or support. You deserve your heart’s desire, and can have it. And you will not have to pay a repair bill to connect with people you care about.

What help do you want or need?

Who would you like to invite into a richer relationship?

What step could you take to receive what you are calling for?

I reach out for the love I desire, and the universe responds.