Grateful for Community
- Elise Gonzales-Sahota
- Dec 7, 2016
- 1 min read
As we near the end of 2016, we who are so lucky to live in community have much to be grateful for; most importantly: good, caring neighbors who are willing to actively engage in the process of creating great neighborhoods to grow up in, and to age in.
As we ponder the state of the world this holiday season, it appears the art of conversation and dialogue is ever more important.
How can we best work together to meet our diverse needs? How can I be better at truly hearing you? By sharing my own vulnerabilities, can I help to create a “safe” place for others? When I see you take action, I too am inspired to do my part to create a fairer world.
In our communities, we practice and refine our communication skills, our ability to work collaboratively, and most importantly, to always treat all people with respect. We model a world we dream of for our children, and our children take it forth into the world in so many different ways.
May the holiday season bring you opportunities to appreciate what we have created together, and may the new year bring you and your family and community even more opportunities to practice these skills as we seek to build a more respectful and sustainable world.
With Much Gratitude, Katie
Reading this made me think about how we could actually build this gratitude into our weekly cohousing meetings—maybe starting each one with a quick “what are you grateful for in community” round. It’s a small shift, but it might make the everyday support more visible to everyone.
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The line about being “so lucky to live in community” stopped me. It’s a good reminder that gratitude isn’t just for the big milestones, but for the quiet, everyday support that cohousing makes possible—something I’m trying to pay more attention to in my own neighborhood.
<a href="https://seedance2-5.org/
">seedance2-5</a>
It’s funny how we often settle for waving at neighbors from the driveway, while cohousing seems to make that deep connection the default. Makes me wonder if the rest of us are just one potluck away from something similar.
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That line about good, caring neighbors being the most important thing to be grateful for really hit home. I wonder if that kind of genuine neighborliness can be intentionally built, or if cohousing just naturally attracts people who already value it?
<a href="https://nano-banana2.com/
">nano-banana2</a>