Day 17: Wednesday, June 25, 2014:

At the end of the day, we all just want to feel like we belong. Whether we want to be accepted by our lover, colleagues, friends, family, or even strangers we pass on the street—we all just want to feel like we are part of a collective whole.

At our very core, most essential self, human beings are seekers. We are looking for something to fuel our souls, to connect us, empower us, to make us just feel a little less alone.

Recently, I had the pleasure of meeting a wonderful young lady with great hair [this I HAD to tell her], an even better energy, and awesome attitude who has started taking my yoga classes. From our initial meeting, I liked her instantly. Isn’t it funny how certain people walk into your life and there is this connection that speaks to your heart? Well, I am not sure what it was but whatever it was, I felt drawn to her.

We chat.

I learn she’s new to Los Angeles.

She comes to my birthday yoga class (which did not go unnoticed!) then again to class a week later.

This time we get to speak for a more extended period of time and I learn that she Crossfits. Ahhhhh, there’s the connection—we are one of the same. With that, I was getting ready to take the next class and we part ways. I didn’t really think much of her attendance in my classes or our chat until the following message I received later that evening:

Great to get to chat after class today…I just moved to the area about 2 weeks ago and I am sort of in transition feeling out LA. I just thought you should know that the first class I took In LA was your class…having you be my first yoga instructor on my second day in LA, filled me with a lot of positive energy that I REALLY needed that day! Being a colleague in the field of helping others reach their full potential, I understand how nice it is to sometimes be reminded of the impact you are making in other peoples lives by simply showing up and being you…so thank you for that. So you seem like a really awesome person, which are always nice to come across when moving to a new city…

I have said this before, and I will say this again: You never know whose life you are touching just by being you. This made me smile and filled me so fully. Being able to make someone feel welcome and a little less alone is what I think community is really all about. As a race, we crave and long for connection. We thirst for community. For me, being able to facilitate that means the world to me. I take my work as a teacher, blogger, friend, athlete—whatever label you want to assign me, very seriously. I do everything with 100% of my heart and I hold nothing back. I am real, vulnerable, and here for you and everyone else who comes into my life.

We MUST reach out to people with whom we come in contact. We must continue to foster community, build one another up, and support each other. After all, when it’s all said and done we are left with the relationships we build with people in our lives.

Reach out to someone, anyone. Let someone know how much their presence in their life means to you. Give credit. Share in someone’s success. Go to a friend’s birthday party. Meet that friend you keep putting off for coffee.

Don’t wait. Build your community today. After all, this is your world and you are living in it—make it the place you want it to be. Reach out.