Woodstock, Illinois is a picturesque town some 60 miles northwest of Chicago. It is best known as the location for the film “Groundhog Day”. I enjoy visiting this lovely town. Recently, the McHenry County Historical Society hosted a heritage quilt show at the local Opera House.
The quilts shown were between 80 and 150 years old. One quilt particularly caught my eye.
This Signature quilt was made between 1900 and 1905 by the local Woman’s Relief Corps as a fund raiser to benefit Civil War veterans. The names of all of the Woodstock residents that donated to this worthy cause were embroidered in red and white thread onto this quilt. The finished quilt was then auctioned off in 1905.
This treasured work of art is a lasting testament to those members of a community who joined together to benefit a worthy cause.
Community is important. Communities are intended to be supportive.
It is in our human nature to form communities, starting with our ancestors who formed communities in order to increase their chances of survival. To this day, we form and belong to groups of all kinds. Maybe this is because we have a universal need to belong that is deeply linked to our need to survive.
There are few bona fide hermits in this world. The vast majority of us have a deep need to belong. Even introverts need to belong (but usually in a way that still allows for time alone).
However, sometimes we fail to see the difference between belonging and just “fitting in”.
- Fitting in means conforming to the actions and beliefs of the group. Fitting in means being in a situation where you fear sharing your opinions and beliefs will cause members of the group to reject you. To fit in, you need to hide yourself. You become a pretend person.
- Belonging means that you are accepted as you are. The real you can show up. You don’t have to hide who you are. You can speak your own opinions and not fear disrespect and/or rejection.
To live our best life we need to belong where we are accepted as we are; where we can thrive as our authentic selves.
Think about your various social groups. Do you truly belong or are you just fitting in?
Where you do experience true belonging – continue to be your authentic and supportive self.
Where you seem to be just fitting in – consider finding where you truly belong. It might be scary; it might take some effort, but don’t give up!
Don’t settle for anything less than belonging.
Don’t settle for anything less than being where you experience a sense of well-being and joy.
Find the supportive community or communities where you can experience the joy of being your authentic self.
You are worthy to live a life of joy and contentment.
