I have been contemplating this question a lot recently. I have a number of wonderful communities in my life. Off the top of my head:
My child
My family of origin
My partner’s family
My child’s school (it’s a great environment, and my little one has made some good friends there already)
Former co-workers from New York (we were texting just yesterday)
Friends from college (during a heat wave this past week, a friend came to stay at my house, which has air conditioning)
People I met doing sketch comedy (in the past week alone, I delivered food to a friend whose partner is recovering from surgery, invited a family over to go swimming at our house, and had lunch with a friend whose mother had been admitted to the hospital that day)
People I met in a writing workshop (I had lunch with two friends last month, and I cannot remember a time that somebody was so interested in what I had to say.)
People I met doing volunteer work
Former co-workers (I had a great meal with some friends and their new baby just this weekend)
Given all of this, though, I struggle with nurturing those particular communities. My current work environment is not good for me. My family lives far away, and I do get energy and joy from being with them, but managing that is a real struggle, in addition to which, I am dealing with a lot of difficult feelings there. While I have been doing a lot of volunteer work lately, I do not have the same connection with the people I am engaged with at the moment that I have with others in the past. And you’ll notice that my partner is (perhaps conspicuously) absent.
For a variety of reasons (work, childcare, COVID), during the past several years, my social interactions have been limited. I have been devoting more time to groups that don’t nurture me. My partner’s capacity was already limited and feels to me like it has become more so with different circumstances.
I am planning to meet some old friends tonight. This will mean leaving my partner and child at home, which is a difficult balance to strike.
I do feel the difference being with communities that energize me.
My wonderful friends are my community. They are all forward thinking, progressive women who each make a difference in the world. I know our friendships bring us a lot of joy and energy that we then share with others through our good works.
Much like my dear friend Pilgrim, I consider our little family my greatest and best community. An awareness was gifted to me recently….that God has provided me with a “community” that enriches my life so abundantly that I have no need to look elsewhere. This awareness has helped me in adjusting to our new environment and trying to figure out where I fit in. And this knowing has brought me much peace and deep joy.
This community is part of every day for me and I appreciate you all! I’m also part of a community at honeyinthetemple.com , created by a friend of my daughter’s, which provides workshops and time together as a community practicing how we can bring mind body and spirit together. Today’s question made me drop a note to the founder and tell her how much I value the space she creates. I have 2 good friends in different cities and being in community with them brings me energy and joy. Paying attention to my friendships and making sure I let those people know I appreciate them will help these friendships thrive.
I used to be a volunteer bike advocate and then became a professional nonprofit executive director and then moved into working for an agency, always working on the same needs and issues. This question is further reminding me that once I made my avocation my daily work my energy shifted. I genuinely want to find something outside my work on another issue I care deeply about and get that same juice back. I care about my work and I do get energy and joy from it–I found my calling, and I bring new ideas and lots of energy to my community of colleagues. At the same time I also need some variety and want to find another way to give of myself as a volunteer that isn’t my day job.
LGBT🌈. My first Pride Parade there was soo much energy and joy to be seen.
Best Friends Animal Society – that gives me joy there are wonderful organizations who help animals
I’m sure there are many more and I help by contributing when I can.
I can’t imagine we won’t all say, “this community!” I can support it by frequency, sharing, and financially. I am so fortunate, I have two other spiritual communities: my church, Unity North, and my Satsang, Abhyasa Ashram. I’m surrounded my so much compassion, wisdom, and enthusiasm. All my communities enrich my life and I am trying to give to them generously of my time, talent and treasure.
We do not have much family and none nearby. I am thankful for the interactions with my neighbors on my walks. Someone notices if we are alive or not. Perhaps we bring them some smiles too.
I had not thought of my family as being a community. Pilgrims response makes me realize that family first and foremost are my community. This site and LifeRing recovery group are communities that also bring me joy. I help them thrive by being present and through loving kindness.
Schools are full of amazing energy and joy with the great gift of children. Volunteering and donating is a wonderful way to help this community thrive.
My family is my central community. They bring me joy, wisdom, support and generosity of spirit. We thrive through mutual support in many directions.
The monarchs have begun to gather around here for their flight south! Every year, this fills my heart.
Dear Pilgrim – Enjoy! We had amazing gatherings of monarchs on eucalyptus trees in an open space near Santa Barbara CA – I don’t know if they’re still there.
Good morning Pilgrim. Thank you for your blessings. We saw the oncologist just yesterday. Some further testing and then treatments begin…daily for up to 2 months with weekly scans along the way. Feeling hopeful and aware of God’s Presence and taking one day at a time. Serenity Prayer.
~Much love to you my friend. Om Shanti ♥
Finally I have some time to visit this site again! My church community gives me energy and joy, and this website does as well.
By contributing my time and making a monthly donation to both my church and this site helps both to thrive. I am fortunate I can do this, even though it may not be much, it all adds up.
Two distinct communities bring me enormous energy, joy, and a sense of fulfillment: the first is my Quaker community at the local and regional level. Here, I am able to worship, and put my faith into action in accordance with the principle of non-violence and adherence to our Peace Testimony that the Religious Society of Friends are known for traditionally.
The second is our rowing club, Whaling City Rowing, and more specifically my rowing team known as the “Gray Buzzards!” We’ve been together as a team now for 22 years and counting. There’s nothing like being out on the water in a 29 foot boat with five rowers and a boat steerer (cockswain) chatting, laughing, and cajoling each other as we row as the sun rises in the morning. It provides both exercise and camaraderie and over time has brought a building of lasting friendships and mutual care for one another like nothing else I have ever experienced. Just this past weekend, for example, we trailered our 29 foot boat 250 miles north to take part in a team member’s wedding. Our job was to row the bride-to-be across a lake to where the wedding ceremony would take place and afterwards row the newlyweds away into the setting sun. It was great fun, exhausting hard work, and I know we would do it again, or something like it, tomorrow for any one of our teammates. I am immensely grateful for these two very different communities in my life.
Thank you, Kevin, for sharing this. What a great group of people! And I understand about your Quaker community;I feel the same about my UU community. We are both very lucky.
Good morning Mary Pat, my Quaker Meeting has a “sister“ relationship with a nearby Unitarian Universalist community in which we have partnered on various social justice initiatives, most recently supporting illegal immigrants and driving them to and from their various immigration court hearings in a 50 mile radius from us. It’s not uncommon for U.U.’s to visit us for worship and we the same for their weekly service.
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I have been contemplating this question a lot recently. I have a number of wonderful communities in my life. Off the top of my head:
My child
My family of origin
My partner’s family
My child’s school (it’s a great environment, and my little one has made some good friends there already)
Former co-workers from New York (we were texting just yesterday)
Friends from college (during a heat wave this past week, a friend came to stay at my house, which has air conditioning)
People I met doing sketch comedy (in the past week alone, I delivered food to a friend whose partner is recovering from surgery, invited a family over to go swimming at our house, and had lunch with a friend whose mother had been admitted to the hospital that day)
People I met in a writing workshop (I had lunch with two friends last month, and I cannot remember a time that somebody was so interested in what I had to say.)
People I met doing volunteer work
Former co-workers (I had a great meal with some friends and their new baby just this weekend)
Given all of this, though, I struggle with nurturing those particular communities. My current work environment is not good for me. My family lives far away, and I do get energy and joy from being with them, but managing that is a real struggle, in addition to which, I am dealing with a lot of difficult feelings there. While I have been doing a lot of volunteer work lately, I do not have the same connection with the people I am engaged with at the moment that I have with others in the past. And you’ll notice that my partner is (perhaps conspicuously) absent.
For a variety of reasons (work, childcare, COVID), during the past several years, my social interactions have been limited. I have been devoting more time to groups that don’t nurture me. My partner’s capacity was already limited and feels to me like it has become more so with different circumstances.
I am planning to meet some old friends tonight. This will mean leaving my partner and child at home, which is a difficult balance to strike.
I do feel the difference being with communities that energize me.
I hope you find those connections that energize you and the center of gravity to manage through the challenges
The world community! I am part of this beautiful community! I try to do my best each day !
My wonderful friends are my community. They are all forward thinking, progressive women who each make a difference in the world. I know our friendships bring us a lot of joy and energy that we then share with others through our good works.
This one for sure!
Much like my dear friend Pilgrim, I consider our little family my greatest and best community. An awareness was gifted to me recently….that God has provided me with a “community” that enriches my life so abundantly that I have no need to look elsewhere. This awareness has helped me in adjusting to our new environment and trying to figure out where I fit in. And this knowing has brought me much peace and deep joy.
.
This community is part of every day for me and I appreciate you all! I’m also part of a community at honeyinthetemple.com , created by a friend of my daughter’s, which provides workshops and time together as a community practicing how we can bring mind body and spirit together. Today’s question made me drop a note to the founder and tell her how much I value the space she creates. I have 2 good friends in different cities and being in community with them brings me energy and joy. Paying attention to my friendships and making sure I let those people know I appreciate them will help these friendships thrive.
I used to be a volunteer bike advocate and then became a professional nonprofit executive director and then moved into working for an agency, always working on the same needs and issues. This question is further reminding me that once I made my avocation my daily work my energy shifted. I genuinely want to find something outside my work on another issue I care deeply about and get that same juice back. I care about my work and I do get energy and joy from it–I found my calling, and I bring new ideas and lots of energy to my community of colleagues. At the same time I also need some variety and want to find another way to give of myself as a volunteer that isn’t my day job.
LGBT🌈. My first Pride Parade there was soo much energy and joy to be seen.
Best Friends Animal Society – that gives me joy there are wonderful organizations who help animals
I’m sure there are many more and I help by contributing when I can.
I can’t imagine we won’t all say, “this community!” I can support it by frequency, sharing, and financially. I am so fortunate, I have two other spiritual communities: my church, Unity North, and my Satsang, Abhyasa Ashram. I’m surrounded my so much compassion, wisdom, and enthusiasm. All my communities enrich my life and I am trying to give to them generously of my time, talent and treasure.
We do not have much family and none nearby. I am thankful for the interactions with my neighbors on my walks. Someone notices if we are alive or not. Perhaps we bring them some smiles too.
I had not thought of my family as being a community. Pilgrims response makes me realize that family first and foremost are my community. This site and LifeRing recovery group are communities that also bring me joy. I help them thrive by being present and through loving kindness.
Schools are full of amazing energy and joy with the great gift of children. Volunteering and donating is a wonderful way to help this community thrive.
My family is my central community. They bring me joy, wisdom, support and generosity of spirit. We thrive through mutual support in many directions.
The monarchs have begun to gather around here for their flight south! Every year, this fills my heart.
Dear Pilgrim – Enjoy! We had amazing gatherings of monarchs on eucalyptus trees in an open space near Santa Barbara CA – I don’t know if they’re still there.
Good morning to my friend Diane! How is your husband faring with his recent diagnosis? Blessings to you and your family on this Prayer Tuesday.
Good morning Pilgrim. Thank you for your blessings. We saw the oncologist just yesterday. Some further testing and then treatments begin…daily for up to 2 months with weekly scans along the way. Feeling hopeful and aware of God’s Presence and taking one day at a time. Serenity Prayer.
~Much love to you my friend. Om Shanti ♥
Finally I have some time to visit this site again! My church community gives me energy and joy, and this website does as well.
By contributing my time and making a monthly donation to both my church and this site helps both to thrive. I am fortunate I can do this, even though it may not be much, it all adds up.
Two distinct communities bring me enormous energy, joy, and a sense of fulfillment: the first is my Quaker community at the local and regional level. Here, I am able to worship, and put my faith into action in accordance with the principle of non-violence and adherence to our Peace Testimony that the Religious Society of Friends are known for traditionally.
The second is our rowing club, Whaling City Rowing, and more specifically my rowing team known as the “Gray Buzzards!” We’ve been together as a team now for 22 years and counting. There’s nothing like being out on the water in a 29 foot boat with five rowers and a boat steerer (cockswain) chatting, laughing, and cajoling each other as we row as the sun rises in the morning. It provides both exercise and camaraderie and over time has brought a building of lasting friendships and mutual care for one another like nothing else I have ever experienced. Just this past weekend, for example, we trailered our 29 foot boat 250 miles north to take part in a team member’s wedding. Our job was to row the bride-to-be across a lake to where the wedding ceremony would take place and afterwards row the newlyweds away into the setting sun. It was great fun, exhausting hard work, and I know we would do it again, or something like it, tomorrow for any one of our teammates. I am immensely grateful for these two very different communities in my life.
Thank you, Kevin, for sharing this. What a great group of people! And I understand about your Quaker community;I feel the same about my UU community. We are both very lucky.
Good morning Mary Pat, my Quaker Meeting has a “sister“ relationship with a nearby Unitarian Universalist community in which we have partnered on various social justice initiatives, most recently supporting illegal immigrants and driving them to and from their various immigration court hearings in a 50 mile radius from us. It’s not uncommon for U.U.’s to visit us for worship and we the same for their weekly service.
I remember years ago being called a “Loud Quaker”!
Interesting! I’ve never heard that line before….though I have known more than a few loud Quakers over the years! Have a great day Mary Pat.