Belonging

Belonging seems to be a pretty common human desire. People go to great links to belong in some way. They dress a like, wear similar hairstyles, choose similar neighborhoods, drive cars they believe reflects who they are, even choose to eat in certain ways that define them.

Belonging is comfortable. It is a safe feeling. It can also be a defensive act. Certain nationalities or ethnicities are safer in today's messed up world.

I belonged to my birth family and with my children while they were growing up.

That is the last time I truly felt like I belonged. Otherwise there has always been a caveat that made me feel separate, or apart from most people around me. And yet, I feel a kinship with all of nature that makes me know we are all interrelated much more closely than most of us imagine.

Other people seem to need lots of human contact. I am content to be physically alone most of the time. I do like human contact, but it has to be specific. I like to be intimately involved in a conversation with one person at a time whose ideas are creative and varied, but only for a short part of each day. Groups of people groping for conversation or simply acting out do not draw me in.

I love my life. It is full of creative thoughts, beautiful music, lovely living spaces, comfortable furniture, good books, and hobbies that are creative. It is comfortable in almost every respect until invaded by someone outside my realm.

It may sound selfish, but I enjoy my own company and, sometimes, those people with like minds. The rest are simply a part of nature I prefer to watch from a distance.