I created this canvas after watching the “belonging” section of Brené Brown’s “Kitchen Table Parenting” series.
Brené teaches:
“Belonging is the innate human desire to be a part of something larger than us. Because this yearning is so primal, we often try to acquire it by fitting in and seeking approval, which are not only hollow substitutes for belonging, but often barriers to it.”
“If we don’t offer our kids a sense of absolutely no question, no requirement belonging, they will look for it elsewhere.”
“We cultivate love when we allow our most vulnerable and powerful selves to be deeply seen and known, and when we honor the spiritual connection that grows from that offering with trust, respect, kindness, and affection.”
So I asked my family what they think of when I say the word “belonging” and got some ideas for the canvas. I put everyone’s phrases in the artwork.
I’ve tried to fit in probably more than I’ve accepted myself. Maybe we all do that. Consciously NOT doing that “fit in” dance is such a relief! If we can accept ourselves, we don’t desperately need anyone else’s approval.
I think of all the terrorist, gang members, drug dealers, and criminals who were only seeking a sense of belonging to something larger than themselves. If only they had found it from something positive instead.
That unquestioning, unwavering, unconditional love is what home should feel like.
The connection that grows between our family is powerful mainly because we are showing each other our true selves. When we need to put on an act, it’s less true and therefore less of a connection.
Being seen just as you are, flaws and talents, and being accepted no matter what, feels so good!
That love, I think, is what gives us the ability and permission to go forth into the larger world as our true self.
May was a very busy month with not much reading time, but I did manage to finish a few. Several years ago, I read the amazing story about how Barack Obama’s campaign was run and how it gathered momentum. So, mainly out of curiosity, I read a book about each side of our recent 2016 election. Both books were skewed but fairly interesting. And the one by a former Secret Service UD officer… wow. I tried to balance out the nonfiction with two novels. Wait ’til you hear what I’ve been reading in June! (No more politics.)
We are absolutely loving our new setup! Benefit #1 – we can BOTH park in the garage! No more “could you move your car?” every day. Benefit #2 – Mr. B works upstairs when he’s in town, leaving the house peacefully quiet. That said, it was ultimately a very l o o o o n n g project with many hiccups along the way.
Day 1: Put garage items in storage and prepare for demolition. Before doing that, we had to reroute the electrical panel that was in the back of the garage. They had to bury the cables under part of our driveway. Thus began the influx of contractors treating our home as a construction site, leaving coke cans and trash everywhere. You can already see that they threw dirt over some of my plants. They were banging all day, playing loud music, and even putting holes in our living room walls without asking us. Fun times.
I have used a local company, Muscles for Hire, many times during our moves and have always been more than happy with them. The 3 guys who came to help us empty our garage were awesome. They tried to move things across the broken driveway, through the mud, but ended up doing most things through the house to our storage unit out front.
I had the guys move our enormous treadmill out of the master bedroom and into the storage unit because I thought I’d be putting it in the upstairs office once it was built. The original installers actually built it in my bedroom, so these guys had to disassemble it partly in order to get it through the doorway.
Moving in August is exhausting!
