Good morning, to All. I hope this message finds you doing well.

Here, I’m having my coffee and reading email before the day truly gets underway. I’ve pottery later this morning and this afternoon Tori Zigler and I will do our Free to Be Me ACB Community social call.

In the meantime, I’m working on The Writer’s Grapevine Magazine. Due to just having selected two editors and a proofreader and the fact that we’re not meeting with Two Pentacles Publishing until the 19TH of August to discuss the new layout Etc. I’m skipping the fall issue. We will begin at the Winter Solstice with a new magazine. I think that is the best time for a new beginning. Just as God created a new beginning for all who would receive it, so are we creating a new beginning for any writer or business owner who wishes to join us.

Earlier today, I read an article about cultivating community and it inspired me to reach out to my apartment manager and case worker with the idea of beginning a community association for our apartment complex thus creating the ability to make our community and its residents more secure.

Here’s what I read and what I have in mind to do.

I served a year as an AmeriCorps Vista and I’ve still two years available to serve. At one time there was an AmeriCorps Vista serving in the Kingsport Housing Authority who took care of making sure people had the services they needed to live independently as elderly and disabled and I want to bring that back. There are people here who are falling through the cracks who will if left on their own end up in nursing homes who really do not need to be there but because they cannot get what they need they will eventually have no choices left to them.

I believe we have within our community the ability to support one another. Read this and see what you think.

As you read, consider what the areas in which we live might be like if we tried doing more of this.

Cultivating Community

Working with neighbors to ensure the well-being of the group can be a wonderful way to build a community.

Many of our relationships can be fleeting or do not deepen past a superficial level, yet these connections, as trivial as they can seem, often have the potential to grow into something much more essential. When we crave community, we should focus our attention on these casual acquaintances. To forge a bond with neighbors, we need to work together with them so that we have a context from which to begin a more mature relationship. Sharing tasks that are part of living can be a wonderful way to become a part of a larger community, make new friends, and lighten the workloads of everyone involved.

Creating a network of neighbors who agree to pool certain resources and share daily duties can be as easy as taking the initiative. If you are willing to take the first step by reaching out to the individuals and families who share your building or your street, you will likely find that others are receptive to the notion. Starting small, with just a few people, can help you orchestrate a smoothly running system. Together, you will need to decide what chores you want to do communally and what resources can be shared. Ideas for community sharing are child care, errands, housework, keeping a joint garden, cooking for the group, and carpooling. For instance, if you cook large meals for four neighbors once a week, you take off four nights after that. As you grow to trust one another, you can begin adding new members to your evolving network or introducing new tasks to your shared roster of duties.

Actions speak louder than words, so working closely with neighbors to ensure the well-being of the group can be a wonderful way to build a sense of community in your locale. Not everyone you approach will be open to the idea of becoming a part of a network of sharing. As you connect with those who do appreciate the merits of such a system, you will discover that others are just as eager as you are to create interpersonal connections that are defined by substance.

Read the article and more here

About Patty L. Fletcher

Patty L. Fletcher lives in Kingsport Tennessee where she works full time as a Writer with the goal of bridging the great chasm which separates the disAbled from the non-disAbled. She is Also a Social Media Marketing Assistant.

To learn more visit: https://pattysworlds.com/