For the next couple weeks I will be posting the Gratitude Journal prompts that are being given to my students and my response post. In this case, I will respond in terms of “community” in general.

“Making a positive difference” is a good habit to develop but for most of us, it really doesn’t come naturally because we’re so focused on whatever is happening to ourselves. We are told to stay focused and that is important, but how does one do that and also stay present in the communities we live in? 

Funny thing is that staying focused on one’s individual journey and making a positive difference in one’s community are two sides of the same struggle. I think about my parents’ generation and how attached my mom was to her sisters and how they were in constant contact and supported each other through everything. They were a good example of people who were responsible for their own decisions and actions but were also supported by their interactions with their friends and siblings. While my mom was the youngest of eleven kids, she wasn’t bullied by anyone but cherished her friendships with her sisters. 

So, making a positive difference in one’s community… looking at my mom’s example, you can’t make a contribution when you don’t maintain communication and connection. We’ve… I’ve spent the past two-years in my own really small bubble, fiercely focused on my work, very much struggling to stay above water from the workload and not enjoying the gift of my journey as much as I could. Maybe I should communicate more with my lifelong friends, in a more meaningful way than a thumbs-up emoticon posted in response to someone’s post on FaceBook. Maybe I should make a greater effort to interact with my coworkers beyond the work-grind. I’m really good at “recognizing” the importance of community and celebrating the seasons together, but I have been horrible a putting any effort to make those kinds of thoughtful gestures to the community that’s around me on a daily basis. Just putting in the effort to connect would be a step in the right direction. I think I got a bit too comfortable “living life” online and not really letting anyone in. Yikes. Must do better. 

How about you, how can you make a positive difference in your community?