Finding what we seek

This past week I attended Mountainfilm in Telluride, CO. I attended with various intentions, but my anchor for choosing to go (though there were obstacles to attending) was to be around other creative, like-hearted people.

The vibrant energy of the festival was palpable everywhere you went, whether it was at a film showing, walking the streets, or gathering in one of the outdoor spaces. There was an openness and genuine love of stories and people that permeated the air.

This morning, I found myself wandering the aisles of Capitol Hill Books in Denver, and I came across a used collection of poetry and prose by Walt Whitman. The book was printed before I was born. I always find it intriguing to hold a physical book in my hands that existed before I did in this body.

I flipped to a page and began reading a passage from Leaves of Grass (1891-92) where Whitman is responding to the question “What do you see?” He describes every possible manner of person, acknowledging that he sees them and wishing them health and good will. Then he says this,

My spirit has pass’d in compassion and determination around the whole earth,

I have look’d for equals and lovers and found them ready for me in all lands,

I think some divine rapport has equalized me with them.

I read this, and found language to speak to something that has been stirring in my soul, the truth that there are good people everywhere. Furthermore, I believe we are more likely to find them, when we are willing to put ourselves out there and are open our hearts to receiving. In other words, place and posture matter.

Place matters in that you must make an effort to be in spaces where you might rub shoulders with the type of people you seek and desire to be in relationship with.

Posture matters in that you must be open to not only seeing, as Whitman describes, but to being seen.

Being seen is something we all desire to some degree, and yet, it can be vulnerable. The more we are settled in ourselves, the less scary being seen as we are becomes. This is an ongoing process of becoming more and more grounded in who we are, while accepting the paradox that we are constantly evolving. It is the dance of being and becoming.

Whether you find yourself very much around the type of people you desire, or are seeking to realize the vision of community you seek, know that there are good people everywhere. There are people whom you will love and will love you that you haven’t met yet.

Place and posture.

Put yourself out there.

And be courageous to open yourself up when you do.