2020 has taught me a million lessons, however, this one is important and very simple, community matters. By definition the word community means “a group of people living within the same space or having a particular characteristic in common.”
But, of all the things I value in life, community ranks extremely high on the list. Why?
Community gives me a sense of connection. Though we are being asked to redefine “social,” we are social creatures. I need to feel connected to others, to share, to experience, to create stories and ideas, to hear and understand other’s stories and ideas. The connection that comes through community is valuable.
Community gives me a sense of importance. Within my community I know that I matter. My community supports me, challenges me, holds me accountable to my goals. It is good to feel important.
Community gives me a opportunity for growth. Many of the communities that I am involved in challenge me in some way, asking me to continue to grow and become better.
Community allows me to contribute. Whether it is sharing my ideas or helping grow the community, when I am contributing, I am a deeper part of the community. I know I matter to the community just as much as the community matters to me.
I will not lie, 2020 has asked us to take community in all kinds of different directions. My Toastmaster’s group is able to meet virtually and we are learning how to speak and gain confidence in our leadership abilities in the virtual world. These meetings have been valuable. We have worked on how to pace our speaking, how to present our ideas in a powerful way through a virtual platform like Zoom. Because we are a smaller, fairly tight-knit community, we were able to transition to this platform fairly seamlessly. And we can all share ideas and chat before or after the meeting. If you are interested in checking out our virtual meetings or learning about how to speak better on the virtual platform, let me know! You will always be welcomed in our community.
At the studio we are trying to build a hybrid type community. We have some members who are not ready to come into the studio yet, and that is okay. I love seeing them on the ZOOM calls and punching and kicking through the iPad. But, we are also fortunate enough to allow members back into the studio and continue to grow the in-person community. In order to keep everyone safe we have exceeded the CDC regulations. Members don’t have to share equipment, everyone is spaced 6′ apart, we have two air purifiers running at all times, every surface is disinfected and cleaned in between classes, we do temperature checks and members sign a waiver that they have not had COVID-19 symptoms before coming to class, masks are worn when coming in and out of the studio where social distancing cannot be practiced. This community is important to us, and so is each person’s health and safety. If you want to check out a class either in person or virtually let me know, I would love to show you what our community has to offer.
But most importantly, it is great to feel the connection of community again, to see a smiling face and feel important, to learn from someone and grow, and to leave a meeting or a class and know that you contributed and participated in a positive way. Those feelings, that connection and growth, is why community matters, and why I place tons of value in my communities.
