My daughter and her friend were walking hand-in-hand toward Cocoa Cinnamon last week. I thought about how powerful it is to walk with someone else's hand in your own. Imagine how far we might get as adults if we held hands with someone else on our journey, whether metaphorical or real. But it's not really how far we get (the journey is the point, right?), it's about how we go.

When we hold someone's hand, we travel in community, acknowledging that we are social creatures and alone is not how we should spent most of our days. Community is something we all need, introvert or not. Different communities that serve different pieces of ourselves are essential for us to grow as people.

When we hold someone's hand, we travel more slowly. The hand grasped around ours might have longer or shorter legs than we do. We're not usually running, are we? We walk for the sake of walking, not to get to the next place faster than the rest of the crowd.

When we hold someone's hand, we travel more intentionally. After all, we have another person to consider. Would either girl have broken away and deliberately bolted toward something dangerous, dragging the other's hand? I don't think so.

When we hold someone's hand, we travel more confidently. We have someone else's hand in our own, we have the reassurance of their presence. Their support is literally something that we can feel. This connection is an important reminder of love in our life.

"Go fast, go alone. Go far, go together." is the old saying. Yes. Now, whose hand do you need to be holding now in this life? Hint: it's not your child's or your partner's.