Community

This evening I took a walk to enjoy fresh air and cool temperature. While I was on my walk I stopped to talk with a neighbor about her beautiful flower garden.  This led to a conversation about the proper care of a rose bush and then to her visiting my aspiring garden and offering tips.

It's interesting how familiarity and shared interests can cause a neighborhood to feel more like a community.  I've lived here for awhile now but I don't know many people.  But when evenings grow longer and summer's warm breezes call for BBQs and gardening it makes it a little easier to cross paths and maybe even have something to talk about.

Every neighborhood may not feel like Mayberry.  Some people may not wish to live in a little town like that but it is important to have community somewhere.

While individuality is a valued trait in our culture,  there is also great value in connecting with other people and doing it regularly.

I think one of the reasons people think back fondly on high school and college years is their community of friends.  People to eat with, study with, vacation with, camp with, and splurge on TV night and popcorn with.  People who knew the ins and outs of daily life and the feeling of comfort associated with being around them.

Most of us don't stay in the college environment forever.  We grow up, get married, find jobs, have kids and generally become adults.  But the problem for some is that if friend groups change as life changes, do we maintain community?  Do we reach out to neighbors, church members, and/or colleagues to form friendships beyond shallow conversations and into the deep, comfortable zone of community?

Sometimes it takes intentionality to grow your community.  Other times it may be as simple as being present in the moments of your life and noticing the people you share them with.