In the background children laugh and giggle, load squirt guns with water and soak each other silly. We sit at a table which I have circled around many times now, a table that holds dreams and stories and wishes - all held gently by Mindy's hands and heart. She gathers us here, and we spill. We spill words and papers and glitter... we make a mess. And she embraces each one of us, as we do each other.
A funny thing happens when you are ready to embrace a tribe. One comes to you. It took me a long time to be open to a group of creative souls. And the funny thing is that though the faces are often different at these gatherings, the feelings are the same. The kindred spirit that ties all of us together runs through each of us no matter if we are new, no matter if we can't give our full attention in each moment, no matter at all. As long as we show up, we are seen and heard and known.
It is truly a gift.
The gift of a tribe is empowering. Liberating. It means being able to dream big and bounce ideas off of others and receive honest feedback and insights...
Last week I spoke out loud a dream I had not even 24 hours prior to our gathering. And with encouragement from my peers I felt empowered and on fire with a need to create.... so I'm diving in. Dreaming big. In the coming week I'll be writing up a description and getting a space ready for a new offering... Beginning in late August I'm going to offer in person creative writing workshops. We will gather outdoors in some of my favorite places, and write... inspired by our surroundings. We will come together and write and read aloud and hold space for each other. I am excited, and terrified! But I can't stop thinking about this idea, and so it must come alive. Stay tuned...
