“Sometimes the place that you are used to is not the place where you belong.”
—from the movie The Queen of Katwe
A “place” can be physical or metaphorical. In teaching at-risk students for 12 years, I’ve learned many of them feel they don’t belong in their own homes. And many times, I’ve agreed. We all deserve a safe, nurturing environment to grow up in, but often that is not the place provided to us.
The “place” I was stuck in was metaphorical. I spent a lot of time, the better part of twenty years, in a place I didn’t belong. A place of overwhelm, a place of shame, a place where I felt uncomfortable in my own skin. I thought the way to escape this place was to drink, to anesthetize any thoughts of pain or potential. I didn’t see that trying to escape the problem, was in fact, the problem. And I probably could have spent the rest of my life there, had I not grown so tired of existing instead of living.
The place that you are used to does NOT have to be the place where you belong. There are other places; infinitely better places. As a non-drinker, you are invited to places of peace. Places of simple beauty. Places of freedom.
In these places, you are able to view each day as a blessing and an opportunity instead of merely 24 hours to get through. You are called to show up, be present and decide who you are and how you will respond to what life presents you with instead of trying to hide or run away. You are challenged to find your passions and thrive, instead of filling your time with emptiness.
This new place is not perfect, but it will teach you to grow and persevere and find meaning. It will feel expansive and open to possibility rather than suffocating and a downward spiral. In this place, there is hope around every corner, and humbling, grace-filled love stretched out across every sky. This new place is the place where you belong.
Stay here, and make it your home.