Community Support

“We all should know that diversity makes for a rich tapestry, and we must understand that all the threads of the tapestry are equal in value no matter what their color.” 

Maya Angelou

Merriam-Webster defines “community” as:
an interacting population of various kinds of individuals (such as species) in a common location

Borrrring! That’s all fine & dandy if you’re looking for the textbook definition of the word, but to me, “community” is much more than that and not so simply defined. There are so many nuanced layers to the meaning of community that the definition changes based on the setting in which it’s applied, but it always comes back to one simple definition for me; support. Support for the whole as well as support for the individual. A community simply cannot exist without this support system in place because without it, there ceases to be a community at all. At this point it’s just individuals acting in their own self interest without regard for others. One example, Jess and I decided we needed to have a get together at the house to get to know our neighbors. We’ve been in the neighborhood for 7 years now and have only met a handful of people. This is not only sad but it’s very embarrassing. Sure we wave and pretend to know each other, but if we’re being honest, we didn’t even know the names of neighbors we’ve seen literally hundreds of times. So we decided to do something about it. We sent out emails to those that we had addresses for and those that we didn't, we had invitations printed out & went “old school”. We taped them up on front doors. As many as we could hand out, and we should have printed more because we missed a few! Next time. We wanted it to be that way though, no pressure! If you can make it, fantastic. If not, we’ll catch you on the next one. Jess worked her butt off making sure the food was not only beautiful but also an eclectic mix of flavors. The spread was amazing. The house was spotless, don’t worry about that pile of compost on the driveway covered by a plastic tarp, I mean I am a gardener after all! We told ourselves not to get caught up in the number of people that showed up, just enjoy the company, be present and engaged at all times. But we did have a ton of people confirm they would be stopping by. Great! As the evening arrived we must have received no less than 15 cancellations each. We were devastated. I didn’t realize we even invited 30 people, of course I was way off! There was SO much food, what are we gonna do?! Well, as party time arrived and families start to trickle in, we were amazed. Between the old friends, new friends, neighbors, and friends of friends, I lost track of time. At one point I had to just stop and look around to take it all in, I could not believe how many people actually showed up. The energy of the house was intoxicating, smiles and laughter were the theme of the night. Introductions were made to neighbors that have lived just houses down from each other for years and didn’t even know it. Stories were shared, laughter was exchanged, gratitude was accepted. It was beautiful. This was truly one of the best nights we’ve had in a very long time. And everyone was so appreciative of the gesture, genuinely excited to be a part of the evening. I cannot tell you how many times someone stopped me to thank us for putting it together and to make sure they were part of the next one. I came away with a deeper appreciation of our community knowing that we have a greater responsibility to one another now. We need to be there for each other. To check in and be present when asking how someone is, not just use the phrase as a small talk when walking the dogs. One of my favorite parts to having a garden is giving food away to neighbors that see me out there sweating like crazy & covered in dirt from head to toe. And they appreciate it because they see the love I put into that food. It tastes better, and we all know it! You tend to cherish that tomato a little more than one from the grocery store. There’s a story behind my tomato. That tomato was grown from a seed in a garden in our neighborhood and shared with members of the community. It wasn’t shipped here from thousands of miles away and sprayed with who knows what! It was grown with love and intention. And I offered that tomato to you because you are part of my world. I am here to be in service to others. I am here to observe. I am here to support. And the garden teaches me this every day. The level of support nature provides to it’s community is infinite. It cannot be measured because most of it lives in a world we have no access to. It resides in the roots, and the insects, and the microbes, and the mycelium that all help one another not only survive, but actually thrive. If one succeeds, they all succeed. Talking to each other, asking for help when needed, and answering that call when it is heard. Nature speaks a language we do not understand yet we can learn from. What if we all helped each other succeed instead of allowing just a handful to out perform the rest? A forest is not a forest without a thriving ecosystem. What if we were all moving forward to create a better world? For everyone. Human and non-human. Can you imagine the implications this would have on humanity and the Earth as a whole? Communities supporting communities. Business supporting business. People supporting people. Living for a shared future. That’s an unbelievably beautiful life to live and is why we’re here in the first place. Our purpose is not to consume as much as possible in this short life, it’s to be in service to one another while we’re here. To build each other up, to offer a helping hand. We all need a little help every now and then. And it’s ok to ask the community for a little support! That’s why the community exists. So next time you see someone struggling, ask if you can help or better yet, just step up and help. Volunteer. Hold a door open. Offer up a compliment. Or let someone merge in traffic. The Universe is always watching and tends to reward those that live a life of service to others. I understand that we can’t all be giant Sequoias in the forest, but they too need some community support to live their best life. Let’s figure out a way to feed the soil what it needs to be a healthy community again so, in turn, the soil can feed the community what it needs to be a healthy again.

See you in the garden surrounded by my community!