The Buddha said, "The foot feels the foot when it feels the ground." We all live in relationship. We don't exist in a vacuum or in a void. No matter, at times, how alone we may feel, we are each part of the vast interwoveness of all life on this earth and in this universe. The people in our life, particularly those closest to us, offer us the gift of a mirror through which we see ourselves reflected through their eyes. As we react and respond to our family and friends and coworkers, we become aware of blind spots, things about ourselves we never noticed. When we hear our voice on a tape recorder for the first time or see ourselves on a video screen— we are shocked and say, "Is that really me?" So, too, in our reflected interactions with others: when we lose our usual way of seeing ourselves, we say, "Is that really me? " We grow through our relationships as we allow them to show us who we really are. See yourself anew through the people in your life.