being and longing

the word 'belonging' holds together the two fundamental aspects of life:

Being and Longing; the longing of our Being and the being of our Longing...

-john o'donohue

belonging...embracing... sternum-wide-open-wrapping ribs-hearts-touching-we are one, embrace.

we sit there longing to be. just ourselves. we sit there, being, hoping someone else is longing for us. it's the most treasured feeling. the most sought after, the one people wait years for, cry tears for, pray their hearts out for.

and here we have it. right here, the four of us. we cuddle up in the bed, darkness all around, squishing nose to cheek, whispering i love you's, and knowing--yes, these are our people.

not everyone has it--the closeness, the touch, the warm embrace, family.

yet--

i believe belonging extends further. past kin, family, lovers.

to long to belong is to be human.

and how could--how can--we turn a blind eye to that.

we all came from the womb. snuggled tight, woven together, deep in the nest of our mother. we were created in that. we were made to yearn for that.

a few weeks past i was out with a friend. we left the liquor bar and walked out into the chill of the night, just two women out late downtown. we had every reason to fear as the man dressed in ragged outerwear, carrying an overstuffed pack approached us....

or did we?

my friend dug around for a dollar and handed it to him, i--as i don't carry cash--had nothing to give. and i have to admit, i was relieved--relieved not to assist him...because of my own assumptions. my assumptions that he would use that money for something he shouldn't, something i deemed he shouldn't.

so i felt relief.

and as i stood there in that feeling and he began to hobble off, my friend turned to me saying,

he's just like us.

which made me think--

what if we dug down deep enough to find what it means to be human...and acknowledged and empathized that within the people all around--

the one that frustrates you, the one who posts their political views in a way that makes you cringe, the ones on the side of the road with a sign reading 'anything helps,' the ones seeking asylum, the ones whose lifestyle somehow 'offends' you, the children waiting to be adopted, the women walking into planned parenthood, the kid sitting alone at the lunch table, the parent you haven't talked to in years...

h u m a n .

longing and being. seeking to belong.

all of us.

so what if today we dug down and saw that side of our fellow humans?

what if we sought to welcome, to include, despite what may happen...

to lay down our life in order for the other to belong.

sound familiar?