Community
Each year I post a statement of intent in my classroom to remind me what I’m really doing and why. The statement has been the same with minor variations for several years. It is; students need to be safe, to be connected, to have choices, to have fun, to be competent. This reflects what I think are the five needs of teachers and students. I try very hard and very consciously to create a community of learners. They need it and guess what, so do I. We all do.
I bounced around the world and was shocked to find that I’ve put down roots, deep roots. Even then I felt like I was on the edge of community, like the kid who stands on the edge of the playground unsure that she will be welcomed. Paddlers have always been my tribe, where I most belong. When I ended up in ICU for three days, they flooded with hospital with calls and visits until they knew I was out of the woods and safe. When two friends committed suicide within six months of each other I instinctively turned to other paddlers. They rose to the occasion again, put my butt in a boat and didn’t let me out of their sight. I’ve always known that I belong with them. What I haven’t known until recently is how many other places I am in community and how much I want that. The absence of negativity has allowed me to see where I am safe, where I am connected, where I am truly in community with other people.
I have had several conversations lately about community, what it means, why it’s important and what it looks like. It seems like a lot of people are missing a feeling of community and a sense of connection. There are as many reasons for this as there are people. However, it’s almost impossible to create or be part of a community when you are mired in negativity. People won’t feel safe when they think or feel that they are being judged and blamed. People won’t, coincidentally, feel safe when they judge and blame others. People won’t feel connected if they can’t be their own hot messy selves. Community and all it offers remain unattainable when you are filled with toxicity of negativity. Negativity blocks blessings and the Holy presence of the Divine in our lives and we can’t have community without it.
thank you so much Lisa, that helps a lot. I know he tried to blame me for so much stuff, but like I told all of his family and mine none of that added up to a divorce. I do realize it's his needs, it just hurts so bad to think how many years he's
How funny....i only very recently (within last week) read the coconut oil articles on the web. (100 uses, 80 uses etc.) so i bouht some and ordered some from amazon. (Im a stockpiler.)
Have started trying some of the uses. I tried using it a
I am making a copy of this post and taking it with me to the gathering my Women’s Group is having tonight at a local restaurant. There are several gals there that need to hear this!
Once again, many, many thanks!