Growing up in the country, I didn’t have a strong sense of community. Our closest neighbors were cows, and our next closest neighbors lived on the other side of our 40-acre property. Now, I live in the city and have found myself surrounded by the kind of neighbors and community that one can only dream of – the kind of neighbors you invite over for an impromptu game night, stop and chat with on your daily dog walks, or ask for a cup of sugar (no, really!). To me, this is the true meaning of having a village.
Recently, I heard someone say, “everyone wants a village, but no one wants to be a villager.” I’d never considered this before, but it’s true. I think we all hope for this kind of connection with those around us but are quick to forget, or maybe not even realize, that we play a part in cultivating our village. Like most things in life, you get out of it what you put in.
It’s hard to create connections with others if you don’t let them in – whether that be by making dinner for a neighbor, inviting them to join your book club, or asking them to feed your cats while you’re out of town. Being vulnerable like this with others shows that you want to help them and that sometimes you’ll need their help too. It’s this balance of leaning on one another – giving and receiving – that creates a village.
For most of my life, I didn’t realize the importance of having a village or being a villager, but now that I’m close with my neighbors, I see it firsthand. We babysit for each other, lend each other tools, and pick each other up from the airport. All it took was each of us being villagers – opening up and accepting and offering help – to create our village.
