Belonging Everywhere and Nowhere, and The Joy of Not Fitting In
Belonging Everywhere and Nowhere first appeared in The Haven in October 2019. The article was updated in October 2024.
“You only are free when you realize you belong no place — you belong every place — no place at all. The price is high. The reward is great.” – Maya Angelou
Sometimes it can feel like we belong everywhere and nowhere. I love pausing and appreciate the utter absurdity and wonder of all this—you reading these words and me typing them. All while the Earth spins and we hurtle through space at an unfathomable speed. We’re all in this together, whether we like it or not.
But I’m glad you’re here!
“Let’s hear it for the weird people: poets, misfits, writers, mystics, painters, troubadours, for they teach us to see the world through different eyes.”
— Jacob Nordby
Belonging Beyond Fitting In
In The Haven, we explore the theme of belonging. This can be a complicated topic for highly sensitive people and those who feel and think deeply. Many of us have spent our lives feeling like we don’t quite fit in—on the outside, observing rather than joining in. But what if not fitting in isn’t something to fix? What if it’s something to embrace?
The outside is where creativity flourishes. We often see this here in The Haven community. It’s where we are safe to explore and express how we experience the world without judgement. I love how often the very thing that makes us feel like outsiders is also the source of our creative sound.
The Beauty of Differences
We tap into something beyond fitting in when we create—whether through art, writing, acts of kindness, music, or conversations. We give voice to what can’t be easily explained, intervene in the path of least resistance, and connect dots that wouldn’t be the same without us.
There’s something beautiful about differences and otherness. This kind of belonging sits everywhere and nowhere; it comes not from fitting in and being the same but as unconditional acceptance of one another at the level of being before doing.
An Invitation to Join Us
The Haven is where gentle rebels can come together to explore these ideas. It’s a space where we celebrate sensitivity, creativity, and the space between the noise.
If you’re reading this and haven’t yet joined us, I invite you to join us and explore your rhythm, creative instincts (even if you don’t think of yourself as creative), and your unique “sound”.
The most beautiful things happen in the space where things don’t quite fit. That applies to us, too!
