11/13/2025
So, you wanna be in community.
What does that mean?
What does it take?
I’ve been sitting with what true community means and looks like. I used to think it just meant showing up, but I’ve come to find that it’s a small piece of the whole.
I’ve learned that community is not saying yes OR no all of the time. It requires boundaries, awareness and discernment. If I show up with an empty cup, who am I really serving? The savior “yes” serves no one. Saying no requires assessment of your why. Self-preservation is important and it can also sever community. Showing up even if you don’t want to - when it’s hard and you’d rather just stay at home alone - is the participatory act of community. It’s taking a moment to take a deep breath and realizing when your presence matters. It’s truly a fine dance between knowing when a yes or a no is merited.
I’ve learned that to be a part of a village, you have to be willing to be a villager. That means getting your hands and heart involved. Showing up is half the battle, but what do you actually do when you’re there. How do you listen? Interact? Contribute? Are you willing to put your thoughts and feelings into action?
Community is Care. Care in every sense of the word. Care for each other. Care for yourself. Care for the cause, the collective, the thing that is bigger than you or me, but is all of us.
It is gentle, yet firm. Community is not about coddling, but rather accountability. It should hold space for all of us to be right, wrong, confused, curious. A space where norms are formed and storms are weathered - together.
It’s asking for your needs and providing all the same. It’s safe, for every member. It is trust. It is fluctuation. It’s adaptive, re/generative, resilient, reliable.
Ultimately, Community takes work.
It is an art.
It takes heart-centeredness.
It is a responsibility if you so choose.
So, you wanna be in community?
Take time to think, feel and commit.
❣️ Some pictures of various communal spaces I love.