Wanting and longing are two very different things. We want a new car, a better job, a luxurious vacation, or approval and validation from others. But all that wanting comes from the head, it’s our overthinking about what might fix us up or make us feel better. The problem is wanting works from the outside in and is connected to comparison, self-doubt, and feelings of lack. Real change only takes place from the inside out. Longing is different, it comes straight from the soul and finds us searching without knowing exactly what it is we’re looking for or how to go about filling the void. We long to be in deeper connection, to be seen, to make a contribution, a difference, or offer something to the greater whole. But how?
Longing comes to heal the wounds of separation, confusion, and disconnection, and leads us to places we’ve never imagined, but to get there we have to feel our way. Unfortunately feeling can be terrifying, it leads us out of our comfort zone and into uncharted inner territory, where roadblocks and wanting to run in the other direction are part of the package. This is exactly the time we need to listen more closely, longing is calling for greater alignment with the mysterious more. Underneath the longing is something bigger, it’s our deep-rooted desire for belonging and finding our place in the larger whole. What’s really being asked of us is to be vulnerable, bone-shakingly honest, and open to whatever might come.
The fact is longing leads us home to our truth, the truth of who we are and what we need to feel whole. There is no room for hiding, vagaries, or half-assed attempts in the house of longing. We are brought face-to-face with what moves our heart and mends our soul. Longing asks for our honest answers and requires us to visit the dark corners and uncomfortable ideas. And at the bottom of all our longing is what our heart has known the whole time, what it is we really need. We may dance around it or try to hide from it, but our truth will always resonate. The gift of longing comes to us as a vehicle for transformation.
What is it you long for? A voice that speaks your truth, the courage and strength to follow your inner vision, to be seen as you really are, to come into communion with something greater than yourself, or find a deeper sense of purpose. To walk the path of longing means becoming acquainted with the things we can’t touch or quantify. We have to be willing to listen to what springs from within the deep well of our heart. Spend some time opening up to the impossible and the improbable. What can no longer be denied?
Bring what you long for to life and lovingly live it out loud.
kb
