Friend or Foe?

I've heard it said that one of the most important beliefs we can have is the belief that the world is a friendly place.  I don't think we come to this belief because life is easy or because we live in a land of rainbows and ponies.  I think it is one of the most important beliefs we can have because it is a belief that we come to despite the evidence we will have to the contrary.  
Each life is a collection of stories---our stories.  The meaning of these stories will often be unclear.  The cowboy standing on the dusty trail may wonder to himself--did I find a rope or lose a horse?  Often we will wonder what the meaning is to our own stories. Each of us has the opportunity to interpret our own.  In every lesson and every experience are the seeds of inspiration or exasperation; we get to choose.  We can add up our experiences to create a story of injustice and pain....which we will have plenty of data on.  Or we can take the very same experiences and organize them to create meaning, to inspire gratitude and to develop character. 
Eleanor Roosevelt said "You gain strength, courage, and confidence by every experience in which you really stop to look fear in the face.  You are able to say to yourself I lived through this horror.  I can take the next thing that comes along."
It takes courage to live a good life.  It takes courage to make meaningful connections.  I'm not talking heroic acts of courage, although those are inspiring and often performed by "regular" people.  I'm talking the courage it takes to say "I'm sorry".  To admit we made a mistake and are imperfect. The courage to say "I don't know" or "I've been there; I've done that". The courage to be the first one to say "I love you". To look another in the eye and express what we are feeling.  The courage to let others see our vulnerability.  And the courage to believe that despite our failings and imperfections we are worthwhile individuals worthy of love and belonging. 
They say "it takes a village" and it does. I think it's important to believe that the village isn't an angry mob out to get us, but rather a group of supporters who have also been bruised and broken in their own journey through life and are part of a team that supports, cheers and sometimes drags us along in our own journey.  Thank you to those who make up my village and are a part of my tribe, I couldn't do it without you!