My Tribe

Two years ago, I clumsily bumped into my one of my tribe. It was a very casual encounter, but to date remains one of the most significant days of my life.

Sadly, I hadn’t even realised that we had been apart...for a very long time. Nevertheless, it took three minutes for the expanse of time to be compressed to nothing. I was home. Three hours later, I knew I had met my kindred and if it were not for the hot midday sun and tired calf muscles, we’d have spent all day reacquainting.

I mused over that meeting for the next couple of days with a profound sense of awe. However, what was perturbing was that I felt like an outsider looking in. Deep down I knew I belonged, but it took a couple of months of interaction to understand why they fitted that profile so well and what was required of me.

You see, the people of my tribe are not necessarily those who speak the same dialect, share the same vernacular jokes or from the same region. Neither are they of the same grade of complexion, height, accent, education, occupation, background, exposure or even financial means. Some of them do not attend the church I do or visit the places I patronize. But when I meet them, I know.

The first sign of recognition is the aura they walk in and draw you into. They are unashamed, unpretentious and never play to the gallery. It doesn’t matter what you think of them. Actually they are least concerned on whether they look right, sound right or whatever ‘rightness’, society expects; real or imagined. And no, they are not rebellious, strange or weird. They are aligned.

My tribe has found meaning and significance that inspires them to wake every morning and make a difference. They have clearly gained clarity about whose they are and what they have been created to be and courageously commit to live out their unique self... every single day. This is more than understanding what they love to do, or what they are good at, or even what they wish they could do. They have simply refused to settle for anything else than what they were uniquely created to do.

So for me, who is beginning to look in the rear view mirror and evaluate the net impact of my life, I’ve finally realised like Ruby Dee said ‘That the greatest gift is not being afraid to question.’

Find your tribe, I found mine.

pic courtesy: the Amazon Tribe