Longing and Belonging

Tonight, my Yogi Tea bag tag message read: "The art of longing and the art of belonging must be experienced in life." For me and my sometimes slow to catch on mind, at first I was like, 'Why? Why should we have to long for stuff. Even more, why should we have to make an art out of it.' It sounded like a ridiculous notion. I considered all the things for which I long: to be skinny, to be assured of good health, especially that of my kids, to never have wrinkles, to always be in control, to always be happy, to have more money, to see peace blossom around the world, for people to be good and kind and generous... Clearly, this list could continue indefinitely.

So then I thought about how to make wanting these things into an art. And I think I kinda figured out a little of what it means. We're always going to long for stuff; this is part of being human. However, the ways in which we conduct ourselves while living in the wanting matters. If we pout and feel sorry for ourselves for the things for which we feel entitled and neglect to appreciate the things with which we've been blessed, then our form of art of longing sucks. But, if we use that longing as a motivation to create the happiness that we want our lives to be, and to make the world a better place, and realize we aren't entitled to anything at all, then our art is beautiful.

When I thought about the art of belonging part, that made sense right off the bat, but it, too, requires more reflection. There have been times in my life when I've belonged to groups of friends or family, but I know I didn't appreciate them. I know that I absolutely took them for granted and didn't honor my relationships with the appropriate love and respect. And, that sucks. In some instances, I've lost, but in others, I've gained. No one is a wholly guilty party in these situations. The losing, though, has shown me the importance of maintaining healthy relationships, and it is here that we gain, too. It's taught me that I need people in my life who I love and who love me back. The art of belonging requires grace and honor and learning and mutual respect. It requires selflessness and positivity and the goodness that resides within each of us, but which needs to be cultivated. And the only way to cultivate these things is to experience the beauty in relationships. Yeah. The art of belonging is cyclical and continual.

Right on, Yogi Tea! Thanks for putting those messages on your bags.