Wanted

Not long ago, one of my daughters, and there are four of them, was part of the exclusion circle that can so often occur in school.  And from what I have witnessed, girls seem more prone.  It was painful to watch, to hear her stories of separation and confusion, to hold her while she wept, and to know that this can sometimes this can be one of life’s painful passages.  And as I searched for words to makes sense of it, we stumbled upon this thought…”Go where you are wanted”.

What a difference it all makes.  To be in a place where you are embraced and loved versus in that space where you are hoping to fit in or at the very least not stand out.  The beauty is once we stopped using Clearasil, we begin to understand.

I am lucky.  I am surrounded by beautiful souls that fill my dawn breaking early morning…jump starting me into a wanted place.  On odd days, I run with the mountain gals.  An amazing group of women, who, despite the burly name, are built of grace, love and charm.  Oh, and heaps of spunk, too.  Somehow by the end of our morning together, we have figured out the way the world turns.  We divulge, we analyze, we resolve, and we celebrate.  And then, somehow, we head back into our lives of dryer lint and carpools all the stronger.  And yes…quite a bit spunkier.

On even days, I run with a gaggle of guys that fill my little sister soul.  They banter and harass and angle at who can be the most inappropriate.  We laugh far too hard and somehow find humor in all the wrong places.  They all have personalities that would surely match the seven dwarfs…only there is not always seven of them, there is certainly no Doc in the group, and I am by no means a Snow White.  I guess it is more of b-rated Disney film than a classic.  Still, there, in those early morning hours, I think we all leave our time together knowing we were in a place that fits.

It is this that keeps me coming time and again…when the alarm jingles and the sun rays are nowhere near the horizon…I head out the door to a place where I feel wanted.  And I, in return, so want to be with those inspiring and touching, comically crude and jousting, dear friends.

So consider this…when you choose to be in a place where you are wanted, somehow it is also the place you want to be.  What a perfect fit!  But I still get pimples now and then.