Relationships: Hospitals of the Soul
I recently listened to Marianne Williamson speak on Oprah's Super Soul Conversations podcast and the one quote I simply had to write down was, "Relationships are hospitals of the soul."
I love this for so many reasons, it almost necessitates a detailed breakdown of all the parts. Hospitals are defined as institutions providing medical and surgical treatment and nursing care for sick of injured people. We all understand the foundational goal of hospitals is to treat acutely ill people and help them heal enough to go home and resume their normal life. We also understand hospitals as a noun, specifically a place or physical location. In this quote, Marianne reframes hospitals as a concept of healing that does not require any specific building. Rather than physicians of various specialties, this hospital is run by the people in our lives who support us, care for us, and genuinely want the best for us.
Relationships are defined as the way in which people are connected.
The soul is defined as the spiritual part of a human being.
So, Marianne is saying that our connections to others allows the necessary healing to take place for our spiritual wounds.
I could not agree more. Because, as Ram Dass says, "In the end, we are all walking each other home."