“I just returned home from two weeks in the woods in western Massachusetts, where I serve in a leadership role and organize our annual Dance Camp. This is our forty-sixth camp. I have been part of the community for the last sixteen years.

I feel confident that I have never felt as loved, appreciated, and seen at any time in my life as I have for the last two weeks. This is a bold statement since I feel loved and seen most of the time; I am surrounded by outstanding people who are thoughtful, kind, and loving. I grew up in an incredibly violent and hateful family. This continued into my twenties and started to shift in my thirties. I have been doing this work for decades and do not take any of the precious relationships I have today for granted. They are why I am the way I am.

I have felt a sense of community since my first year at camp and every year since. This has expanded to include hosting and DJing many dances locally here in Rhode Island. The local community members are the core group of people that I interact with socially, spiritually, and physically. We hug often. We share our appreciation for each other regularly and often express our love verbally during most times of connection. I feel loved and seen most of the time, as I mentioned above, but this last week was different.”

This is an excerpt from a post on Medium. You can view the full reflection here.

Michael Swerdloff

Providence Holistic Counselor, Coach and Reiki