Community

The concept of community has always been a struggle for me. As a recovering people pleaser, I have been burned many times. For a long time I thought community meant only people I could trust completely. Over time, I've come to realize that community is much broader than that.

In just the last few weeks, my fiancé and I hosted a Jack & Jill fundraiser where people from many different chapters of our lives showed up in support. I also had the opportunity to work with the Resource Organization Project at a grant-writing retreat, where movement organizers came together and became a community through shared purpose, experience, and solidarity (see photo above).

During this same time, two more Thrive series came to a close. What begins as a group of strangers gathering for yoga often becomes something more. Week by week, participants witness one another's growth, offer encouragement, and create a space where people feel seen. These experiences have reminded me that community is not only something we find, but also something we build together through consistent presence and care.

Community doesn't have to mean knowing each other's deepest secrets. Sometimes it simply means showing up, making time, offering support, and celebrating one another's successes. It means recognizing that none of us exists in isolation and that our lives are shaped by countless connections, both large and small.

You may never know how you impact someone, or how they might impact you. Every interaction has the potential to strengthen the web of relationships that holds us all.

As you move through your month, I invite you to reflect: Where are the communities already present in your life? How might you show up a little more fully within them? Can you open your heart and mind to connection? Can you be kind enough to yourself to be who you are?