A new year. A fresh start. Beginnings are the best: filled with hope, clarity and resolutions.
The New Year often inspires us to take stock of where we are in our lives, the things we’d like to do better, and the ways in which we want to let go. It’s also a time to reflect on our friends and families, the different roles we play + the importance of the communities we inhabit.
Whether you’ve lived in this community for ages, have recently moved back, or have transplanted from somewhere else… guess what? You can officially call this town your own! But what does that mean? How is that important?
In essence, this town gets to be a community for you. And likewise, you get to further shape the community that it is. We’re all connected in these ways and share this opportunity.
The concept of community has evolved dramatically in recent decades. I remember explaining to my 94-year-old grandmother about 15 years ago why people are spending so much time on computers. “It’s this thing called the World Wide Web,” I told her, “and it’s invisible but allows people to connect.” Unclear on the logistics, she understood the concept. Connection, and our desire for it, simply makes sense. And historically, that life-enhancing connection would come primarily from our families and local communities.
But what holds a local community together? The neighborhoods? The schools? The small businesses? The faith homes? The town officials? The local media? In a sense, all of them, of course! The town’s fabric is comprised of all the components that our town offers. And depending on your specific interests, stage in life and influences, you will discover a way to exist and thrive in our town. You will discover the places that you grow to frequent, your secret hide-outs, favorite spots, and your routine will begin to take shape.
But what about the invisible forces that hold us in community? Many of us also thrive on the intangible network that keeps us emotionally and intellectually afloat in our worlds. This invisible network that supports our day-to-day living is also community, but it’s not the brick and mortar kind. Rather, it’s the people and the feeling and the energy of a place. And I imagine that energetic network to be like one of those magnificent glistening spider webs that’s stretched across an impressive space and consists of intricate connective threads. But, unless you catch a glimpse of it from a precise angle and in just the right light, you may never become aware that it’s there.
But don’t be fooled, it’s there, that magical web of connective threads; it’s all around us, even if we haven’t discovered it or leaned into it in a while. Finding one's footing in a local community can take time, but it’s heartening to be reminded that people all around us, in this local community of ours, are making threads to design and enhance the invisible web that’s able to extend and grow and change because of the people who engage in it.
As we continue into this new year, let’s remember that our resolutions are an expression of intention. And perhaps we can try on a different kind this new year. Maybe, rather than taking on that big, huge goal, instead, we consider designing a resolution that involves settling in. Perhaps the intention is to choose to further strengthen our shared community. That could mean choosing to add your uniqueness to this web; deepening your existing connections; finding support where you need it; or being curious about what else our community might ignite for you.
At the end of the day, it’s the people—you, me and them—who create the collective energy of what we all consider home. And we all get to have a hand in designing this web, this intentional community that holds us.
Written By: Lindsay Hurty, Co-Founder of Everwell (www.theeverwell.com)
Everwell is a community for life-learners to gather, connect + grow in meaningful through our thoughtfully curated programs, events, workshops + online courses.