#thoughtsbynatalie

my broke recently so I am in the market for some new wearable fitness tech - I respect so was pleased to see her share her thoughts

Wearable Tech (That Looks Good)

We need people.

This is a truth I’m projecting primarily towards myself. I used to boast in my alone time, my solo-ness, my singleness, but when it comes down to it, my moments of utter joy have involved others. And I say this all to give recognition to that, to them. Thankfulness hardly covers it.

This acknowledgement-turned-simple-reflection stems from my preference of my own company, and my own company alone. Just me, my thoughts and my God and no room whatsoever for anyone or anything else to disrupt me is my usual mind frame. I’m learning now, there is unfilled space and it’s meant for people. And it’s guided by our calling ultimately, to love others. If I’m about myself, the company of others will deter my ability to do anything useful, especially the loving part.

Perhaps it’s specific seasons of our lives that bring certain truths out more boldly. Of late, I’ve been immersed in new circles with different laughters, voices and scents. The presence of others, of community, is one that jabs most adamantly at my spiritual spine too, keeping me super upright and aware; we need people. This particular chapter I find myself amidst resounds with thankfulness and togetherness and has magnified both my blessings and bummers—both rich in its weight and purposeful in it’s roles. And those I find surrounding me (when I seek to look around) dizzy me with gratefulness.

From a two-person coffee date, to a 12 person dinner and all things in between, I’m filled with the profound reminder that man was not made to be alone. This goes beyond singleness and marriage, this goes beyond loneliness or the reality of boredom. There’s a simple truth: If we are solely about ourselves, the story we live is very uninteresting, empty and points to pride and self. More stories allow more lessons and lessons learned, which help us become people who are far better company than the kind we once were before.

The presence of others have formed many of my words turned prayers and have livened the contours of my face—I have been influenced well and greatly from others. The relationship I have with each and every one of my neighbors, my brothers and sisters, my foe and my friends, have sustained and cultivated a thankful spirit. Thankfulness that is precise like tracing seams with your fingers or the recitation of the alphabet at age five. A precision that undoubtedly refines us; to notice detail and to be equipped to share-what we learn, what we know, what we fear (the list goes delightfully on) is a hard but necessary endeavor. So we need people, and to speak sincerely, to learn intentionally and to love unconditionally.

This is my present and welcomed challenge. To infuse my at-times comfortable solitude with the encompassing calling that is to love others.

Are you too comfortable in your solitude? Do you sometimes find it difficult to lean in and love others deeply?

Image via Inspiration Station