A Saturday Morning, and the Feeling of Belonging

Sometimes you don’t realise how much you’ve been craving connection until you suddenly find yourself surrounded by it.

There is a place in Samford Valley called Green Thumb Farm – a place I’ve always associated with connection. It runs a farm gate market on a Saturday morning. We don’t go often, just when our schedule permits.

Last Saturday, we popped in. We didn’t arrange in advance to meet friends there. We didn’t know exactly who might be there. We simply turned up.

At one point in the morning, I felt overcome with the feeling of connection and community. 

I looked over at my eldest son, sitting at a table, laughing and chatting with a group of friends. I looked to my right, and it was a table full of their parents, also chatting and connecting. I looked to my left, and my youngest son was playing with his two close friends. I was sitting across from one of their mums, and we were in a deep conversation.

It struck me that none of this had been planned. We hadn’t organised a catch-up. We hadn’t coordinated schedules or messaged ahead. Yet, there we were – in a place where our people were. 

Each week, the market has a busker who plays music for offerings of fresh organic fruit and vegetables. On this day, the music was soulful.

As I was sipping on my lovingly prepared chai tea and nibbling on sweet treats, I felt overcome.

The feeling of belonging – for me, and my kids – was unmistakeable. My eyes teared up. I told my friend that it felt like some kind of utopia, something very special and very rare.

My friend understood completely. She grabbed my hand, and together we just breathed it in. Soaked in the feeling.

I think this is what we’re wired for – to feel connected, safe and like we belong. And yet, modern life doesn’t offer that kind of community up in the way it once did.

That morning, I felt my nervous system settle.

I’m not suggesting everyone needs to flock to Green Thumb Farm, or that it’s the answer we all need. Funnily enough, Green Thumb Farm isn’t the place my husband finds community. He finds his on climbing walls, and in cafes learning Auslan.

What I am suggesting is there are places out there that offer a “third space” – somewhere you can go where connection happens, where you feel welcomed, and where your soul feels safe.

It might be at a sporting field, a library, or somewhere completely different.

The key is noticing where you feel that sense of belonging – and then finding your way back there.