Dennis Sparks | Contributor

An elderly couple navigated uneven terrain as they walked by the Huron River. Both were recipients of the accumulated infirmities that often accompany advanced years of life, one bent by the gravitational pull he was no longer able to resist as his partner hobbled next to him with a cane. They leaned into one another as they enjoyed the beauty of a summer day, sharing an outing that neither would have been able to experience alone.

Americans pride themselves on being strong, independent people. But most of us are connected and interdependent in ways we often don’t recognize and appreciate. A child befriends a classmate who is new to the school. Kind and watchful neighbors care for each other in countless ways. Family and friends extend themselves to us time and again. Nonprofit organizations and governmental agencies lend a hand in times of natural disaster.

From birth through death, even the strongest and most independent of us are the recipients of the care and assistance of others—some of which is invisible to us—as we navigate our own uneven terrain. For those who believe that their lives are solely of their own making, that interdependence may be a kind of “stern reality” they would prefer to deny. But for the rest of us, our connectedness is a reality worthy of celebration.

“Dennis Sparks’ Things Observed” essays and photos encourage readers to see familiar things in new ways. He can be contacted at dennis.sparks@comcast.net.