My inner peace

After reflecting upon last week's meeting, I made deep realizations about my specific desire to meet and develop friendships with gay men and women.

First, I realized that I don't need to be a part of an LGBT volunteer organization or in structured social setting like college to meet people and network (though it greatly helps). I can meet people anywhere simply in LIFE. Whether it's at the gym, in queue at the supermarket or the bank, or through my existing network of friends, it is realistic to meet people in the simplest, most routine and perhaps the most unexpected places in life. I just need to be open to it. We all meet people in life, not just at a particular place, during a particular time, in a particular way. I may not initially meet gay people, which is my goal, but it might lead to that through their social networks and acquaintences.

In order to make that happen, I've gotta find my inner peace and be honest with who I am. Inner peace to be comfortable with my sexuality and yet-to-be settled parts of my life; and honesty to accept my strengths, faults, and potential. As I have constantly mentioned, I need to be truthful and open. The truth and openness allows me to be genuine in all aspects of my life and with others. I remind myself to try to be honest, comfortable in my own skin, and forthright. Then I'll naturally project positive energy. This projection can then attract people into any part of my life. The energy that we give and take from each other is what makes relationships work and the world turn.

Second, I want to clarify that I don't ONLY want to meet gays. I'd love to meet straight and LGBT people. If I had narrowed my goal to only meet gay people, then I'd be close-minded. I had set a goal to be more open-minded in meeting others and cannot stray from achieving it. I want to meet people from all walks of life, regardless of their sexual orientation and be open to each unique interaction.

Recently, I came upon 13 Love Stories, a unique advocacy project that profiles 13 diverse same-sex Californian couples affected by the passage of Proposition 8 through 13 well-done shorts. I enjoyed watching all the films, and each offered a different view. I tried to pick one to share here, but couldn't single one out. Instead, I randomly clicked on one with my eyes closed.