Everything Belongs

Everything belongs. This phrase has developed immense meaning to me over the past few years. A mantra that has guided me on my healing journey and serves as a guidepost for how I approach my work, family, and relationships.

“Everything belongs” has allowed me to see that all parts of me are integral and worthy of love and belonging. “"Everything belongs” has allowed my imperfections, grief, messiness, shame and uncertainty to be held right alongside my “shinier” parts and pieces. For a long time I believed that only certain parts of me belonged. My understanding of what belonged was determined by cultural messages, religious dogma, expectations from my family of origin and the impact of living in a system of white supremacy and patriarchy.

This has been a long and slow journey of befriending my inner and outer experience. Of building my capacity to hold the tension between seemingly opposing ideas, thoughts, emotions, memories and ideologies.

As I have learned to belong to myself more deeply, I have discovered that I have more space to belong more deeply to the wider world that I am entangled with. Finding space in my heart to experience the mutuality of being alive on this planet. Albert Einstein is quoted saying, “Our task must be to free ourselves from this prison by widening our circles of compassion to embrace all living creatures and the whole of nature in its beauty.” Widening my circle of compassion, first to include myself, then gradually moving out in all directions endlessly.

This blog will become a space to share my experiences, stories, thoughts and musings around this theme that continues to inspire, mystify, frustrate and intrigue me. I invite you to join me on this journey of being human together. Stepping into the complexities, nuance, paradox, beauty, despair, grief and joy of our shared experience.