Reaching Out!

 It is hard to pay attention to what is going on in our country these days, as well as in the wider world. Of course there are positive happenings too. But what arrives in the news feed tends to be pretty unsettling. Clearly we are in troubled times, not only as Americans, or as people in general. Even if you're a tree or a polar bear, uncomfortable change is coming. And these developments, whether it is political or economic or climate-based, are coming more quickly than we had anticipated. Some days I decide to delete all the news updates coming to my email. I save them for another day. I only want the news to have a certain amount of foothold on my energy.

A message that I keep hearing is to gather together in small groups. In just one day last week, I heard from three separate people who live far away and are not folks I see often. Yet they all told me of groups they had joined that were important in giving them support and stability. The groups had different focuses: art, music, books; the subject wasn't as important as being together, sharing something of ourselves. When it feels like our familiar way of life is collapsing, and the immediate future feels uncertain, it is tempting to hide under the covers, to hole up in a safe place and wait it out. But that gets lonely! And the experts are saying that these are times when we need to overcome our shyness or reticence and reach out. We may find that the other people around us are wanting to connect too. And we are stronger together than alone.

I tend to be an introvert. I love people, but too much socializing zaps my energy. I think extroverts get filled with energy by socializing, but I get my energy from being with myself or Nature, or conversations with one or two friends. At the cohousing village where I live, we have both kinds of people, but I think there might be more introverts than extroverts, which tends to be the case in cohousing communities. If you're an introvert, all you have to do is walk outside your door when you want company, yet you can always retreat to your own space when you have that need. 

Living in a cohousing community doesn't mean that you get along perfectly with everyone. In fact, one of the things you learn right away is that it's important to develop skills in understanding, cooperating, listening and sometimes letting go of your own wishes in favor of something that benefits the community as a whole. But in our current time in the world, I feel so fortunate to be living with the folks at Prairie Hill. We don't all agree, we have different personalities, we are different ages and have different interests. But we are committed to getting along, to working together to make our community safe and comfortable for everyone, and in an emergency, we come together. 

At this time in the world, I think it is also important to reach out beyond our personal spaces. Our cohousing community has a committee (which we call a "circle") that is reaching out to the wider neighborhood with festivals and other events in order to form connections with other people (often from all over the world, since this is a university town). That has been an adventure. And just recently I decided to see if there was interest in reviving a group that a couple of us had formed years ago. It was called Earthcare Working Group, and we started it for the two Quaker Meetings in our area (West Branch and Iowa City Meetings). The group met every month, had a meal together and then an inspiring film or a speaker, all addressing how we could be good stewards of the natural world. It's probably been ten years since that group ended for various reasons. And I wondered: would there be interest in starting it again? I had my doubts. People are SO busy these days, especially concerned people who are doing everything they can to be a positive force in the world. Wouldn't everyone be too busy to add one other thing to their already full schedule? Maybe.

But why not try? With an unexpected extrovert-like energy, I started talking to some of the folks who had been involved in the Earthcare Working Group ten years ago, wondering if there was interest in starting it again. At first there were only polite responses. But eventually there seemed to be enough interest to at least have a meeting to brainstorm about reviving this group. What did we like about how it was before? How would we like to change it? Who would be invited? Did we want to expand our theme of earthcare? How often would it meet? And where and when? 

Last Saturday we had a brainstorming session with representatives from two Quaker Meetings and one Quaker Church participating. And there was way more enthusiasm than I had expected! I think all of us left excited about this new development. Not only had we expanded to include the Friends Church members in the formation of the group, but are also inviting the staff and students of Scattergood Friends School nearby to participate in planning and enjoying the events. One thing we agreed on: even though these monthly gatherings about earth care were started by four Quaker bodies in the area, anyone can come! Our first official Earthcare Working Group event will be May 3rd at Prairie Hill Cohousing, at 2:00, and there will be snacks!

I'm telling you about all of this because I know that it is important for us these days to reach out, to connect with others, to feel and be a part of something larger than your close family and/or friends. I want to say "These are times that try men's souls." Only I don't know who said that, and besides, it's not just men! But there's truth there anyway. All of us humans need each other right now. And connecting in small groups of diverse folks can counteract all the divisions happening in the wider culture. If you're a shy person like me, this is to tell you that you can do it too! And it's worth the challenge!