Belonging: What Does It Really Mean?
by Aric Wilson, Mr. SoCal Leather 2019
It’s a thought many of us never think about or even realize until its profoundness appears, and then we question it all. I recall the days of going to the local gayborhood in whatever city I was living in and trying to keep up and fit in and getting a seat at the table, only to be brushed off if not ignored altogether. I remember the repeated trips to the bar (since drinking was doing something instead of nothing) to order another drink, and I would eventually round out the night unless the occasional night cap presented itself.
The desire to go out faded, and then I became a homebody and a nobody. Then one day, it all changed, seemingly at once. I walked into the Eagle LA and those feelings of being alone in the bar changed. People were friendly to me and my time became filled with laughter, learning and story-telling, and I realized I was taking fewer trips to the bar. I still drank, but I did so because I actually wanted to and not out of boredom. I made friends that I looked forward to seeing, —I would stop on my way home just to say hi.
I found my place. I belonged.
Belonging feels natural, and it’s something you think about until you don’t have to any more. Then it feels like home.
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