Building Community

Community is a valuable asset that you cant buy with money. Having a community lengthens our lives. We are healthier and happier with community. It helps us feel like we belong in this world. It helps us know we are never alone.

It is a gift to have someone notice when our energy is off and ask, ‘How are you?" Or to support another soul in need who might not have someone to support them. Or if you need a spice or a ream of paper to be able to ask a neighbor for it quickly - is such a gift! The world then feels warm, supportive and caring.

Building a circle of people that give us a sense of belonging with or to one another is a skill set. Some might call this community. Others may call this friends. Others may call it their circle. I use the words interchangeably. But what I do know is that for all of my life I have been super blessed to have the skills to build a community around me. To me it is one of my more valuable aspects of my life.

Here are some ideas on how to build community no matter where you are:

1. I make it a point to give attention to people. See them. Hear them. I do this with strangers. I do this with neighbors. I do this with most people in come in contact with especially those I see frequently and even ones I will never see again most likely. I do this no matter how they dress, who they vote for and what they look like.
2. I am generous with my time. I’m generous with my gestures. I’m generous with my patience and I offer basic acts of kindness to my fellow humans. I do this within my capacity - truly authentically. I don’t however offer what I cannot. I dont deplete myself. I save energy for me too.
3. I’m genuinely friendly. In being so, I seem to quickly create casual friendships with people. At this point, I decide how friendly I want to become with people. Because one can only have so many close close friends. But one can have a grand community. And there is always room for more in my community. But not always in my inner circle of friends… only because I only have so much time.

So if you are feeling lonely, as if you are solo out in this big world, I hope that the above steps help you create more of a community for yourself where ever you are in the world and whatever stage you are in of life. It is never too late to build your community. Because great people are every where! And when we find our people, the world becomes smaller and cozier!