Fill up with your people so you can love all people.
“There’s not a word yet for old friends who’ve just met.”—Jim Henson
A friend of mine recently shared with me that he visited a church and didn’t feel at home because, “They weren’t my people.” There was some guilt or shame in the statement, but that’s not warranted. I get it.
Somewhere in our lives, we need to find and enjoy “our people.” These are the people that reflect back to us who we are and who we want to be. These are the people that encourage us, give us strength, and are fun! From a place of knowing we are loved, connected, and supported, we can move out into the world of “different and other” and engage with more courage and compassion (remembering that, at our core, we have the main things in common with everyone). If we never go out, reach beyond, or care for people who are different than us, we’ll be self-centered and unhappy.
It’s both, not either/or. Have your crew, AND engage with people different than you. Similar and different. Comfort and outside the comfort zone. Such is the good life.