Belonging is the innate human desire to be part of something larger than us. Because this yearning is so primal, we often try to acquire it by fitting in and by seeking approval, which are not only hollow substitutes for belonging, but often barriers to it. Because true belonging only happens when we present our authentic, imperfect selves to the w

Can I be with my longing? Can I allow the emptiness of what is missing from me remain without trying to fill it with stand-ins and facsimiles? Can I be longing without expectation that it be soothed? Can I, in living with absence, become the presence it is so hungry for?

“I don’t belong anywhere.” If this is your fear, you are constantly looking for a place to call home. You hope that finally, this will be the relationship where you can be fully known for who you are. Or finally, this job or role will be your tribe.