Finding your people doesn’t always mean finding people who agree with you on everything. It means finding people who energize you, respect you, and make you want to be a better person.

I am so fortunate to have found a few groups of people who are “my people.” First, my book club, The Chapter Chicks (my Peeps), is a close group of women who have been together for 21 years. We talk about books (sometimes) and anything and everything else that has meaning in our lives.

Then there are my “teacher friends,” who are more than colleagues. We may not get together very often, but we are all available to one another beyond the scope of curriculum and instruction at any given moment.

Today, I am off to meet with my newest group of people, the Poetry Writing Group, at my local library. This group began in September and meets on the first Saturday of the month. In a few short meetings, this group has widened my view of the world, poetry, and myself—so much so that I even read at an open mic night in November—something I never thought I would do.

For the past eleven years (I think), I have participated in the Slice of Life Writing Challenge sponsored by twowritingteachers.org. As we start another challenge, I look forward to reading the “slices” of “my people” worldwide.

I hope you have found your people and that after you leave them, your heart feels filled with helium.