I have a confession.
This is not easy for me to admit but in the name of wild truth, I will divulge.
I am a Connection Addict.
A person addicted to connecting with as many people as I can, as deeply as I can, pretty much all of the time. I am constantly making friends on the subway, in the ladies room, at the juice bar, and in coffee shops the world over. I seriously cannot stop.
To me, people are endlessly fascinating and I want to know their guts. I am honored to be invited into the living room of their minds. With every breath I take comes a new bout of nearly insatiable curiosity. When I meet someone intriguing for the first time the inner dialogue sounds something like this,
“Wow, they are (insert something complementary)! Who is the person?! What are the passionate about? What are they afraid of? Why? What are they not saying? I’m in love with them. We are totally going to be besties/lovers/business partners. Thank you, universe, for dropping them in my lap! Life is fun!”
In many ways, this addiction is my greatest strength and served me well in friendships, relationships, and business.
I have had the honor of deeply profound connections with loads of extraordinary people. My gratitude for this is overwhelming.
ALSO…
I recognize that I need to balance this intimacy/time/energy spent on others with healthy doses of time alone. Personal Intimacy.
I know that I am not alone in this and I suspect this imbalance causes much of the energetic/mental burnout many of us experience.
Now, I am a bit resistant to scheduling “Alone Time” in my calendar. It brings up many feelings (mind you, feelings don’t have to make much rational sense):
- Guilt for being such a freakin’ narcissist
- Shame for not having some hot date
- Utter panic at the possibility that I may actually need a good cry
- “I should be working” pressure
- and on…
However, when I get past the roadblock of my chatter brain and do take this time. When I take myself on an artist date, sit in mediation, write in my journal, pray, take a bath, or simply just sit, I am better for it. I am connected to myself and connected to my faith. This connection roots me in my integrity and sends me tons of energy from the big infinite unknown.
In the age of the internet, the Connection Addict crack pipe, we mortals must take time to balance out. Otherwise our insides get tangled in all of these webs of connection. We lose ourselves.
So, take some time today, alone. Close the door. Turn off your phone. Take a bath. Sit on a bench. Get quiet and get curious about you…
WILD WOMAN Check-in #8:
Who are you?
What are you passionate about?
What scares you?
What are you not saying?
These are important questions. I will sit with them too.
This time with you is a way of filling your well. Pouring curiosity and care inward will leave you with even more to give to others. You will be rooted in your purpose. In your integrity and hopefully, in your heart.
Sacredly Solitary,
P.s-If you have a lovely Connection Addict of your own, Share this. They will be grateful you did:)
On the Horizon
Join an international, intergeneration group of weird and wonderful wild-hearted Women in our online Cave (which lives on an app)!
We meet weekly in Circles, Workshops, Practices to keep our wild spirits lit!
Upcoming Weekly Gatherings:
Join us for an hour-long New Moon Meditation Adventure on May 7th!
Online, from anywhere.
Using a dynamic meditation journey, we will tune into the New Moon, to your own Inner Guidance, synced up with wild-hearted women from around the world. This offering will include music, storytelling, meditation, journaling prompts & intention-setting.
Can’t make it live? No worries. All participants will receive a copy of the recording with 24 hours of the session.
We have Wild Woman Project-trained Circle facilitators is 26 countries, and 44 out of the 50 United States.
Chris Maddox is the founder of The Wild Woman Project where she teaches women how to utilize the gifts of the Wild Woman Archetype in their everyday lives & how to lead women’s circles in their local communities. She is the organizer & facilitator of the beloved annual WILD WOMAN FEST, a women’s retreat-festival hybrid which fosters a deep connection to nature, a direct experience of the divine feminine & profound spiritual sisterhood among the women in attendance.
An ever student of the great mysteries of existence and nature itself, Chris believes women are holding innate gifts & tools that society at large needs – now more than ever. She is committed to helping women remember their special magic and to bring it forward into every corner of their lives, for the greater good of the planet.
Since the MSM is totally skewed, what blogs/websites have you found that give you information that the MSM ignores?.