Community: Live it!!

by Kayce Stevens Hughlett

“Community cannot for long feed on itself; it can only flourish with the coming of others from beyond, their unknown and undiscovered brothers (& sisters).”
 
Howard Thurman

Lately I've been pondering what it means to be in community. Who do I commune with? What do I desire from a community? How can I help myself and others grow and flourish? What does community look like for me? What does it look like for you?  

I don’t know about your life, but community has been quite fluid in mine. There is the very small community that I still interact with from college. I live in a lovely neighborhood alongside people I rarely see during this season of short days. When my kids were little, there was the school community and the church, parent organizations, coffee groups, and soccer moms and dads.
 
I’ve joined and left more communities than I can count, having outgrown some, gotten fed up with a few, simply drifted away from others. Still, there is a powerful draw for me to step more fully into new communities where I can flourish with help ‘from beyond’ as the Thurman quote mentions and learn from ‘unknown and undiscovered brothers’ and sisters.
 
Recently, I had the privilege of gathering with two new communities. One was focused on our mutual commitment to nourish our yoga practice, the other on our love and desire to deepen our writing. While pondering what it meant to flourish in the midst of new and old friends, my mind recalled an experience from November of last year when I co-facilitated a unique community focused on Awakening the Creative Spirit. In this instance, participants from all over North America gathered to create a unique alchemy focused on the expressive arts and assisting others in personal growth and healing.
 
While this distinct outcome and combination of individuals will never happen again, my co-leader, Betsey Beckman, and I are nonetheless opening the doors next October 29 – November 3 to stir the pot and see what creative juices bubble forth as brothers and sisters from around the globe gather together.
 
If you desire a deepened community, are in a helping profession, and feel a tingle when you read the words, Awakening the Creative Spirit, I hope you’ll check out this offering and see if its right for you.
 
Who inspires, supports, encourages, and nourishes you? Please know that I am proud to be a small part of your community and would love to hear what community means to you!!