We’ve all heard the saying “It takes a Village to raise a Child”. It’s true (well, so I understand it). However, what happens to that Village once we are all grown up?
It too, evolves as we grow. But when we don’t accept these environmental changes with Love and Positivity, our people completely dissolve. We stop seeing our caregivers because they are not what or who they used to be; they simply aren’t here anymore… just like our own Child self is a mere memory. Life and people as we know it are in a constant state of flux.
The solution is to find your new and improved Village that takes care of you, as you currently are at each point in time. So, that’s what Villagers do. They find the people that they need and vice versa. Yes, it’s seemingly more difficult to make friends as an adult, but if enough people search for a place of belonging, the Positive Energy makes it irresistible.
A while ago, I was continually walking to and from work, really just to have something to do with my spare time. But then I started trying to beat my own record. A work friend called me on it and said that I should make it official and get a medal. So that’s what I did; signed up for a half-marathon and got the medal. Crossing the finish line was great… for about a minute. Loneliness sank in. I was surrounded by about 10,000 people but not a single one was specifically cheering for me. When I got home, there was a brochure on my counter advertising Team In Training. I signed up that day, I had found my people! We trained for five months and I proudly walked another couple of half-marathons, two full marathons and a 100 km trail race. I was so happy to be backed by Coaches, Mentors and Teammates. “Go Team!”
Not only did I meet lots of people with TNT, I joined a gym, took pottery classes, joined a Hiking Club, participated in Yoga classes, started a before-work breakfast club, joined a Hiking/Yoga group, a “Girls Just Wanna Have Fun” group and finally a coffee networking group.
I guess what I am trying to say, is if you have interests, dreams and hobbies, there are others that do too.