You are part of this place

not a visitor

you
belong

no matter what

that doesn’t grant permission
for
chewing shoes
midnight bark festivals
nipping thighs to get a rise

you
belong

no matter what

is a responsibility
to know yourself
what you can contribute
to our shared life
in this place

we all slip up
on occasion
learning

own those slips
do what you can
to set things right

you
belong

no matter what

is not a pass
it is
a responsibility

---

Matthew asked me and Manu…
What did creativity look like in your childhood?

Despite many differences between us, including growing up on different continents, we had a similar answer.

We’d both had the belief that you were either a creative artist with wild and weird side, or you were a cog in the wheel like everybody else.

How did we not know that we are the artists of our lives?
That every thought and action creates what comes next?
That we are part of this place…not visitors?

Doesn’t matter. Can’t change the past. We know now.

It is when we slow down,
perhaps learn from an octopus,
that we can see our place in all that is…
every bit,
connected.