There is an old joke about a nearsighted man who has lost his keys late at night and is looking for them by the light of a street lamp. Another person comes along and offers to help him look but asks him, Are you sure this is where you lost them? He answers, No, but this is where the light is.
In "Women Who Love Too Much," Robin Norwood shares a humorous yet poignant story about a nearsighted man searching for his lost keys under a street lamp, despite not knowing if that is where he dropped them. This scenario reflects a common tendency to seek solutions in familiar or comfortable locations, even if they don't address the actual problem.
The anecdote serves as a metaphor for how people, particularly in relationships, often search for love or validation in places that don't truly fulfill their needs, illustrating a misguided reliance on superficial comforts instead of confronting deeper issues. It emphasizes the importance of understanding the sources of one’s problems rather than simply seeking the light of immediate reassurance.
