Your sense of belonging

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Belonging. If there is ever a word that brings home our sense of purpose it would be this one.

I recently attended a health vendor fair at Fayette County Memorial Hospital as a representative for Court House Fitness. Many, many people walked by our booth. Some cautiously walked by avoiding eye contact. Seldom, a person would engage in awkward conversation with no real interest in a membership, but out of obligation to seem interested. (Thank you to those brave souls!) Although, most often I heard the same thing.

“I already belong there (or somewhere), but I have not been going.”

It led to a remark that stuck out to me. It seems like there is a social trend that we have to belong to a gym without any honest intentions of making it there. Sort of like it’s more acceptable to pay for a gym membership and not go, than to simply jut not have a gym membership. The ultimate procrastinator’s trick.

Maybe we get to thinking that this way, it will show other people that “I really want to appear concerned about my physical fitness, since I am obviously paying for it,” but won’t actually have to go since “things” usually come up.

Hey, this way, many of us could get together and collaborate on how tough it is. After all, this is how many of us relate to each other. Truly, I’ve not met as many people who talk about how much they love someone or something as they do about the daily struggle.

We mustn’t take what we love for granted. Speak aloud about what brings you joy in life. For me, the joy I get from exercise doesn’t necessarily come from the exercise itself, so much as what it brings me. Back to our key word. Belonging. It may up-rise some frustrations in how to say you love something, but the difficulty alone is learning how to express that belonging with grace. It takes time.

Often, we talk about something that peaks our curiosity in a positive way, only to hear in return from a friend. “Well, there are some dangers to that.” As if that person is an elite expert in that field. And we take it seriously!

If you are curious about something, and it brings a light-hearted, uplifting emotion to you, then go for it without hesitation. Nobody other than you will give you the permission and guidance that you need to have. Forget about concerning over wasting money because you are wasting time.

In the process you will have found a true sense of belonging. A feeling that you are where you are meant to be. I wish for everybody to be in that place of mind no matter their spot in life. And if those spots don’t align with the people around us, well, then so what? We still have people in our lives! The people we surround ourselves with, and the behaviors we choose to express towards them, is the foundation for belonging. From there, we can achieve things. From there, our dreams and wishes do cultivate into reality.

By Trey Tompkins

Contributing Columnist

Trey Tompkins is a local resident who writes fitness columns for the Record-Herald.

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