I’ve always been fascinated with the Red String Theory.
As a kid, I imagined having a little red string tied around my finger, wrapping around the world and tangling in knots over places in my memory, eventually creating a loom where a tapestry keeps growing in length.
The Red String Theory, a belief from East Asian mythology, believes that people who are destined to be present in each other’s lives are connected by a red string, and life will bring them to meet again despite time, circumstance, or distance. Some people call it a coincidence and say that the world is small, but I can’t help but think that we’re all connected.
Every military kid knows the ache in their heart when they drive away from base for the last time, the hollowness they feel after telling their friends, “I’m moving,” and the dread of “new” - new school, new friends, new life in a new place. We feel lost, we are disconnected, and our worlds are unknown. Time goes by and the constant moves and new experiences remain constant.
Yet, I want to look at it from a different perspective. I believe we’re all in a tapestry of our life. Our significant friendships aren’t lost, the string just might be a little looser. Life may pull us together, and then pull us apart. And even when we are physically apart, the string still keeps us connected. Our memories mean something and are part of a continuous journey as we weave our tapestries.
With parents, the red string means our bonds are strong and unbroken, even if they’re halfway around the world. If we are meant to be in each other's lives, we will be connected. Our strings make up our tapestries. Even if the string frays or changes color, it’s still woven in. Every separation and change serves a purpose, creating new patterns and textures and even new shades of red. My tapestry reveals my life and my relationships and serves as a roadmap to who I am.
Call me sentimental but I think by now, I’d have a pretty cool tapestry.