TAM Diaries
Still on the Outside Looking In
When will I “get it together?”
We all want to fit in. As social animals, we are designed to yearn for a sense of belonging and purpose. On a basic level, simply being accepted may be enough. Yet the longer I live, the more obvious it seems that we’re all puzzle pieces looking for a place where all our sides match up.
But not all of us have the same number of sides. And the puzzle is a magnificent, multidimensional matrix that defies physics and reason. What might seem like a simple task of belonging unravels into a complex algorithm of community, purpose, and other variables to decode. It’s a wonder anyone feels satisfied with their lives.
I’ve known people who seem to only have one side to match. After some soul-searching, they find their purpose in life and pursue it with enviable gusto. Life falls into place before them. It’s as if ‘happily ever after’ unlocked once they discovered their puzzle’s match.
Those are the people we wish we could be. People who manage to “have it all together.” They don’t know more about life, success, or love than anyone else, but they fit together with life.
And then there are people like me.
