Finding Your People
Tell me YOUR story
I’ve been at the Long Island Doctor Who convention this weekend. I’ve often suspected that I’m never quite as much myself as I am when I’m in the presence of my fellow geeks, because there’s no social stigma against letting your freak flag fly when you’re entirely in the company of others who are doing the same.
This is why I think it’s really important that we find our people—the folks who allow us to fully embody ourselves and our interests. Until we do, we are—as the late, great Barbara Sher once put it—a horse living in a basement. Something’s not quite right, but we can’t figure out what it is…until we’re finally allowed outside and discover we’ve been longing to run our whole lives.
To put it even more succinctly, I don’t think we feel entirely alive until we are in an environment where we’re truly accepted for our full selves.
In honor of those places, and in that spirit, I want to know where you’ve found YOUR people. Maybe it’s a sci-fi con, or maybe it’s the local gardening club. Maybe you’re one of the lucky souls who’ve always felt that way with your family of origin. Maybe it’s when you’re with your best friend.
Who are your people? I know I’m not the only one who would love to celebrate the folks who help us be who we really are. 😁
"To put it even more succinctly, I don’t think we feel entirely alive until we are in an environment where we’re truly accepted for our full selves." Yes, this!
Love that photo and your red lipstick, Nancy! I'm a red lipstick gal too. I'm lucky to have some dear friends I met in grade school, high school, college, and work, but in later life, I made several friends in writing classes and via the SCBWI conference, when I was writing middle grade novels. Another life it seems.