Community
As part of Elan Family Wellness Centre's July theme of Community, here are Sandra Catania's thoughts. (Sandra offers Holistic Reflexology sessions at Elan)
I
am writing this piece on my laptop, perched out on my front step. One
of the things that I think of when I think of community is our
immediate neighbourhood. The folks all around us. But when I think
about it, we only know our immediate neighbours by name and only see
some of the others occasionally on our bike trips around the block
and on Halloween when we make the rounds. In this day of
communicating by computers, I believe our online communities to be
much more active. We spend so much of our lives connected to our
screens, exchanging information and support. And while I do miss some
of the real life contact (and do still see the need for it), I have
seen and experienced first hand how our great need to find a
community or “tribe” to belong to can be fulfilled quickly and
with ease electronically. The www is a wonderful thing!
A
few weeks ago, I had the honour of attending a benefit concert for a
family struck by tragedy. They belong to the healing/drumming/sound
community of this city, although they have never lived here (they are
now living in Nova Scotia, creating community there). It was the most
beautiful and touching evening I have ever experienced and taken part
in. Musicians donated of their time and talents to entertain, there
were tables and tables filled with prizes and silent auction items
and a room filled with healers of all kinds, donating of their
services for the cause. I met the family a few years ago when the mom
contacted me through one of the communities I have built online (I
have 4 or 5 and belong to several dozen others). I was so happy to
help her promote her healing sound concerts, introduce her to like
minded friends and groups that I belonged to. It was a pleasure of
getting to know her and her beautiful family and spending some time
with them on their subsequent trips though our city. Although they
weren’t able to be there in person, their spirits sure were, and
the feeling of love and peace and oneness was very present there. Of
community.
My
suggestion if you are feeling disconnected or like you would like to
find a community to belong to? Get online! Search out people who are
like minded and interested in the same passions and causes that you
are. Or, go down to your local community centre and volunteer. Bake
your neighbours some cookies. Whatever you do, your choice to venture
out and connect in a positive way will be rewarded tenfold.
Communities, whether in real life or on the web can be life savers.
They make the world a little smaller, brighter, warmer and
definitely a better place to be.
Here
are some links if you are interested in checking out some of the
online communities I have been a part of creating:
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