I hope you’re going to bed tonight with gratitude for an eventful, joyous weekend or with anticipation of an eventful, joyous week to come.

I had no real Friday Adventure with my girl to report, as she was gone all week to a church camp of sorts and got back late Friday afternoon. I spent the day running errands, preparing for a party I had in the works on Saturday night, and then picked her up as soon as the van pulled into the lot. (We were both eager to get back to each other!)

Saturday’s party, Yacht Rock-themed, went off without a hitch. A very good time was had by all, and our house was full of love among friends. I stood back once and marveled at the conversations and laughter between people who hadn’t seen each other in a while or, perhaps, had never met at all.

On the way out the door, a friend said to me…

“I really thank you for having me. The fact that you open your home, and it becomes this place where so many different people are all having a good time AND ABLE TO BE THEMSELVES is just the best.”

It was one of the nicest things I’ve ever been told.

Where people are able to be themselves…

You know, that’s what we all SHOULD be. We should find ourselves only in places we can be free and uninhibited and feel good about it.

We all hide a little. We pretend a lot. Our faces, our voices, our behavior, we modify so much of ourselves to conform within a given environment or within a certain group of people.

It’s part of the reason we find ourselves so mentally and emotionally drained these days. We might stand out and *GASP* be considered “different” or be labeled. We will surely get put in our place, told how to fix ourselves, or encouraged to do better. (The directive, “Do better.”, grinds my gears.) God forbid, we’ll be canceled. So we change ourselves.

I’m proud. I’m proud to have gathered a group of people who did not look like each other yet felt safe enough to be authentic, to give of themselves genuinely in substantive conversation, to laugh WITH each other from a place of true happiness.

“I’m talking about…making your home a place where people are fiercely protected, even if just for a few hours, from the crush and cruelty of the day.” (Shauna Niequst)

This!

I never want to be at THAT table, and I certainly never want it to be MY table. I don’t want to create to or even contribute to such an environment where people can’t feel comfortable in their own skin.

I don’t ever want to be untrue to myself. I never want to change to fit in or be liked. I’m really terrible at being fake, and when I find myself faking, it causes me to have an actual physical reaction, a real discomfort, as I try to navigate being authentic and upsetting someone or betraying myself to get along.

Y’all, be yourself this week. Put yourself only in places where you can be free to be you. Protect yourself from folks who compromise your ability to keep it real.

Quit worrying so much about “those” people who make you feel some kind of way. If you feel like crap when you’re around them, if you feel pressured, if you don’t feel heard, why are you worried about them in the first place? They aren’t your people.

May you find yourself laughing. May you hear the sound of your own voice speaking truth, offering compliments, encouraging others, or saying something profound. And may you feel like your voice is not only heard but sought after, appreciated, and valued.

Oh, and put on some Yacht Rock. Nobody can feel anything but free and happy to vibes so mellow and easy. (If you don’t know, Google it or just search Spotify or Apple Music for playlists.)

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