"As we advance in civilization, tribes become communities, communities become nations; there comes a point when only artificial boundaries prevent our sympathies from extending to peoples of all nations and races." ~ Charles Darwin
Recently we had a mini reunion of our Peru retreat at one of the participant’s homes in Westport. Not everyone was able to attend, but for those that were, it was a real homecoming. There is something very powerful in shared experience and adventure, especially one fraught with challenges: a foreign country and language, traipsing around villages and countryside at 10-12 thousand feet! Through shared experiences bonds are formed. It’s a though we know a secret, and to some extent this is true. Our experience is completely unique, a capsule in time, never to be exactly repeated. As I sat with my friends, sharing delicious foods and heartfelt conversation, a deep peace swept over me. This is my tribe. These are the folks (and others too) with whom I’m traveling this lifetime, sharing stories, trials and tribulations, empathizing, supporting, occasionally arguing. We know something about each other, and how it is. Each of us needs our tribe, our family, the people who we can rely on, fight with, and love with, the people with whom we can grow and dare to be ourselves. Cultivating our tribe/family is one of the great works of our life. I hope your summer is going well and you are appreciating your time with family, friends, and tribe. Love always, Greg