“belonging is a verb” - toko-pa turner
“Belong yourself to those who need you. Find those, human and other than human, who are drifting to the fringes, who are the least valued or most unexpected to have something to offer; look for those without a voice, and draw them in closer.”
Connection, difference, and belonging are fundamental aspects of the human experience.
We experience connection in relationship when we feel acknowledged for exactly who we are, without having to change anything about ourself or the other person.
We experience difference in relationship when we acknowledge the important ways we are not the same as the other person, without having to change anything about ourself or the other person.
We experience belonging in relationship when we feel accepted for who we are, without having to change anything about ourself or the other person.
We become able to orient and reorient to each other. We can learn to be flexible and acknowledge that we are in process, that we are a process.
When there is sufficient support available to show up fully with another person, and also receive them fully - without needing to change anything - then we break the illusion of aloneness.
We become free.
