About this thing called community

What is this "community" we are seeking?  I find myself wanting to write about it, yet I haven't quite determined how to articulate it.  I'll be working on a definition and refining it as I go along, I think. Plunging right in, for now...

 com-mu-ni-ty:  a unified body of individuals: as  

a : state, commonwealth

b : the people with common interests living in a particular area; broadly : the area itself 

c : an interacting population of various kinds of individuals (as species) in a common location 

d : a group of people with a common characteristic or interest living together within a larger society

e : a group linked by a common policy

f : a body of persons or nations having a common history or common social, economic, and political interests  g : a body of persons of common and especially professional interests scattered through a larger society

We began attending the local Unitarian Universalist church here this fall, and it is proving to be the obvious choice for us (since we have been UU's for more than 30 years) as a network to plug into and find people with whom we have values and interests in common.

This week's sermon and post-service discussion was about Bill McKibben's book Eaarth, about the global warming crisis that most people are in denial about, and how we, as individuals and as a congregation, can respond.

It's exciting to have finally connected with some people--right here, locally, not on the internet!-- who share the very concerns which caused me to launch this blog in the first place.  There is promise for future discussions and actions toward living responsibly,even happily, with the new conditions we are already experiencing on our changing planet.  And I'm not feeling quite so isolated now.

When you move to a new community,  there's this whole watching and listening and getting-to-know-you process that takes place while you figure out who's who and what's what.  It's somewhat jarring to be the new kid on the block when you're accustomed to being an active,  known, and respected member of the community you came from.

Some people move around a lot during their lifetimes, often for employment reasons, and they develop a knack for unplugging from the old, plugging into the new networks, and instantly becoming part of the flow.

But Tom and I aren't those people. We're the type that tends to grow roots. This is only our third major move in our entire lives. It's difficult leaving "the people in your neighborhood" (I can hear the Mister Rogers song in my head) that you've known and trusted for so many years and moving on. A lot of people don't do this. We decided, for a lot of reasons, that we needed to.

Things don't remain the same forever, no matter how comfortable you may be. Family has always been an important part of our lives. They're the people that are still there when friends and neighbors move away--or die. We observed my mother's community evaporate around her as she outlived all of her contemporaries. Thank goodness for family.

So, facing retirement in a house too big and the kids too far away, we needed to be proactive.  They're still too far away, and no doubt there are more moves in our future. But for now, we've taken this step and this is where we are.

Becoming part of a new community, post-work and post-children, is uncharted territory for us.  So far, we've gotten to know some of our neighbors (especially the ones who have dogs), dealt with businesses, found places and activities we enjoy, but still don't have, for instance, a family doctor here. It will all fall into place in time. Circles will widen and overlap. In the meantime, in finding this church community, we have found an oasis of familiarity in the sea of change.  It's comforting.

To be continued, of course.