Community in the home: a group effort

Selfcare Emergency Meter: Preparatory Measures
Time Commitment: varies, daily 

I was thinking this morning, how in the heck am I still standing (hence the above video) after the overwhelming week I have had so far? What has been nourishing to me as selfcare? Then, it hit me: my roommate and I have been building a sense of community in our home.  It may not sound that important, but it is!  Community is a supportive, interactive environment.  It is where people can be open, aware, and feel safe together.  Community in the home has kept me sane through writing papers I have due in every class this week.


Procedure:  There are multiple ways this can be cultivated.  I will focus on a few ways my roommate, Hannah, and I have been working on that surround food.  Talk about food together.  What foods do you like?  What foods do they like?  What foods do you want to experiment with?  Go grocery shopping together.  What are you buying?  What are they buying?  What can you share?  


Choose a recipe and cook together, or at least be in the same room when the cooking occurs.  Talk, ask questions.  Food usually brings up family stories, both happy and unhappy.  Share your stories.  Listen to their stories without cutting in.  Sit and listen.  Remember what they say.  Let this person be important to you and let yourself be important to them.  With community, a best-friendship is not required.  Respect, patience, and support are required.  This is a group effort.


**If you live alone or want to continue expanding on this model, you may enjoy getting to know your neighbors and creating a larger community.


Why this is wonderful: The examples I provided attend to multiple senses, but these are not why this is wonderful.  Building community helps me to know that I am not alone.  As important as independence is, we cannot do everything on our own.  We need friends, family--relationships--to help prop us up when we are not able to take care of ourselves.  Humans need a support system to survive.  Attending to the one we already have in our home is a great place to start.