I want to find my people. I know they’re out there because I’ve found a few of them already. And I know that there are more. Enough to build a community.
I’ve always visualized community as a tapestry; unique strands and individual stitches combining to create amazing patterns and harmony of composition. The common thread that runs through all human beings is that we can’t do it alone. We need a network of friends.
With deep friendship, we risk possible dishonesty, betrayal, or manipulation, so it’s a bit scary…and yet we can’t function properly without it. Friendship – the powerful connection that runs between us - is the lifeblood of human relations. It’s an interesting concept. Unrelated people choose each other through some mysterious mix of alchemy and circumstance. On the surface, the reason for our choice seems obvious; they share our interests, they make us laugh... But is there more to it than that? Lately, I’ve been asking myself why *this* person and not another is helping me weave my tapestry – becoming one of my people?
So what do I mean by my people?
“Find Your Tribe. You know, the ones that make you feel the most YOU. The ones that lift you up and help you remember who you really are. The ones that remind you that a blip in the road is just that, a blip, and not to mistake it for an earthquake, and even it were to be an earthquake, they’d be there with the Earthquake Emergency Supply Kit. They are the ones that, when you walk out of a room, they make you feel like a better person than when you walked in. They are the ones that, even if you don’t see them face-to-face as often as you’d like, you see them heart to heart. You know, that kind of tribe?”
~ Jennifer Pastiloff
That’s what I mean.
For the last two decades, I’ve focused the bulk of my time on being the best mother I can be, the best wife I can be (well, I tried), and the best daughter I can be. Any time I had left over went into paid work, household management, and random urgencies. Now things are settling down. My son is an independent man, marriage isn't even an issue anymore, my mom is focused on walking the new leg of her life journey, and frankly, I’ve decided that perfect house-hold management is unachievable.
In this stage of my life, I want more. I want to be part of a naturally-created network of mature, marvellous people; an informal social group of like-minded souls who want inspiration for growth, and encouragement in taking their next self-directed step in life. A community of positive, warm, fun-loving individuals on a journey to explore, grow, and celebrate life…now that’s something I’d love to invest my time in. I’ve been waiting for a community to develop organically, but it occurs to me that I should just build one...
So I am…
- discerning who the people are that I fit with best and who would want to fit with me
- investing myself in getting to know a small number of people a lot better
- reaching out - I’m a serious introvert, and this part is really challenging for me - wish me luck.
And that's it. No more tiptoe-ing around my need to find a group of people among whom I can be unconditionally loved and accepted, while still staying in alignment with my true nature. I’m choosing unique strands of friendship and initiating individual stitches to create a fabulous life pattern of harmonious composition.
Slowly, but surely, I am going to build the community I’ve always dreamed of being a part of.
I’m finding my people.
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