BRUISES ON MY BUTTOCKS

"(Appreciation) makes immortal all that is best and most beautiful.....It exalts the beauty of that which is beautiful....It strips the veil of familiarity form the world, and lays bare and naked sleeping beauty, which is in the spirit of its forms." Percy Bysshe Shelley

I just got back from my 5 day/4 night mountain biking trip. Let me tell you....I am bruised from head to toe. My buttocks looks like I could have been involved in some S&M activity. When I gave you my list of what was in the back of my car last week, it was mostly sports stuff. Here's the deal. I, by no means am a super athlete. I go out and give it my girl scout try, often ending up wounded, black and blue. I also would much prefer a fancy hotel to the hard surface of the earth. My air mattress deflated many times during the night.It was up...it was down. It was up...it was down. Why I kept filling it, lord only knows.  I had to go potty at 4am but the bathrooms were a long-long ways away. The second day I decided that dehydration was a good option. The wind blew 45 miles per hour when we were setting up our tents. A number of children surrendered to the weather and just slept outside. We were rained/snowed out of a day of biking and it was freezing cold much of the time. That doesn't sound fun, does it?

But no....it was fabulous. Why? It was all about community. 50 people ( mostly middle school kids) were able to gather together and make it a journey of connectedness. We laughed hysterically at all the challenges. People were kind and loving to each other.

I cried when I drove away. It was like leaving summer camp, just like last year. I became close to a number of women and because we were together all the time, we created beautiful bonds. I long for community. I hunger for it. In our day and age of busyness and the world whirling around us, I think we don't have connectedness as much as we would like. I believe that is why the blogging world is so big. It creates a sense of connectedness and people speak from their place of truth.  I have heard many women say "I don't have that many friends." One woman...who I really enjoyed, asked me to be her friend when the trip was over. I loved it! It's like being a child in the sandbox. As kids we somehow could just ask people to play with us. I think as adults we are afraid to just say "I like you. Be my friend damn it."

I am grateful. My heart feels open. I am sitting here with my thank you notes addressed, ready to tell the people that I engaged with what I like about them. It feels a little risky. I don't know why. Maybe because I wonder how they will receive it.

One of the top characteristics of happy people is that they connect with others. Individuals who "make new friends and keep the old" tend to live more fulfilling lives. One of the reasons I decided to embark on this journey of gratefulness (the human acknowledgment project) is that gratitude is one of the paths to happiness.

I would encourage you to look around and see who you might want to befriend. Ask them for a play date. Every new person brings with them gifts....and you to them. Have a beautiful day and also give thanks for the people in your life who bring your joy each day.