those of like mind

“did you see last night’s moon?” he asked.

this was enough. it reignited the waning friendship; it lit the wedge-shaped segment of my heart that belonged to him, and to all those who speak of their enamoredness with la luna.

at the beginning of this year, I listed eleven words to guide my journey through 2019:  adventure, intuition, confidence, joy, love, peace, writing, retreat, partnership, healthy, engaged. each of these have deeper, expanded meaning, which I will delve into at other times, but my friend’s comment on the moon leads me to a focus on “love” and “engaged,” both of which speak to this shared space within and between human beings, this sacred space from which fuel and focality are birthed.

we humans are complex, yet stunningly simple: when something external touches a similar internal chord, we instantly connect and bond. on one end of the continuum might be a shared interest in classical music, toward the middle could be a love of vivaldi’s work, and on the other end might be a common rapture experienced when each plays their vivaldi on his or her cello. we feel heard and understood. we believe someone else knows our internal experience; we feel validated. we are completely engaged with the experience, and we flood with oxytocin, with dopamine, with serotonin, the body’s “feel good” responses to connection, achievement, happiness, and thoughts of loving kindness.

thus we search for opportunities to experience this again and again. we associate and attach to others with whom we share interests. we blossom when with those of like mind. most of us find ourselves resonating with others in myriad ways: some with whom we share physical interests, those with whom we celebrate spiritual beliefs, some with whom we love to discuss politics or history or creative pursuits. many of us could create a venn diagram depicting our overlapping connections, and others of us have bubbles of interests that may not touch at all.

my writing friends are spread across the land; my yoga community exists in a building down the street. family reaches across state lines; cycling friends all live within miles of each other. most good friends live within miles, as well, and my spiritual world encompasses all that is seen and unseen . . . and within each of these communities at different moments I find powerful connection and resonance, flames that ignite in my soul.

this is not to say that one must keep to what is known: it is through expanding our awareness, through inviting adventure and curiosity, through stepping outside our comfort zone, that we discover we are more than what we’d believed. it is by meeting with those who may not be of like mind that we discover our mind to be more expansive than we thought possible. and within each breath of expansion, lies opportunity for one more glimmer, one more flicker, one more burning moment of pure, connective, delight.

“yes,” I replied, “I saw it.”