Henry David Thoreau said, "The mass of men lead lives of quiet desperation."
On Friday, I had coffee with a cohort of people who walked through the same leadership development training, and it was so good to catch up on what is happening in our lives. That even despite different
walks of life, different opinions, different life choices, we can have coffee, learn from each other and support each other. That is community!
Today I had a great conversation with some friends. This couple moved out of Merced some time ago and came to visit, and in the process, they realized how much they missed the community of Merced.
They have friends here, relatives who love them, and they are very familiar with all the good things that are happening in Merced. That is community!
Last week was my birthday, and I received this wonderful poster of handprints of all the kids and staff at one of our community centers, and another group brought me my favorite candies. That is community! Last night I was a baby shower, it was impromptu and beautiful. Over 20 people filled the room, people between the ages of 11 months to 95 years, from many walks of life, all there to celebrate a new life. That is community!
How do you and I build community and recognize that it is one of the cornerstones of our city, our
world? How do we see each other? How do we recognize each other's strengths, hear each others
stories and learn from each other?
I recently watched "Otto" a great movie about an old curmudgeon whose life is transformed when a
family moves in across the street and an unlikely friendship develops. That was community!
We each have the power to build community, one friendly word, one smile, one well-placed question. Too many people live lives of quiet desperation. Let's do something about it!