I love my community, I really do. I honestly didn’t know what it meant to be a neighbor to others until the last few years. Whether you talk about it literally or figuratively, I have always wanted neighbors.
I dream of being 30-something, walking out onto my porch and calling out a simple hello to my next-door neighbor. I want to drive down the road to my friend’s house and know the door is always open for me. I want to drive 8 hours to see a family member and know there’s a made bed waiting for me.
In order for me to cultivate this village, I too must be a villager. I see myself as highly empathetic and compassionate, and yet I’ve discovered that not everyone appreciates my type of connection, which is totally okay, and I understand that I’m not for everyone.
I prefer to have a true conversation rather than allow the surface-level to be my only way of knowing you. My village is not built on what we can only see through the windows—it’s about resting in your living room and knowing what you talk about at the dinner table. I am no absent neighbor.
My village is not only those who live in my house, though I’d definitely consider them to be part of my village, but I’d also argue that my mom’s sisters are my village. I know I can call them at any hour and be greeted by the phone equivalent of a hug.
I know that my Mountain family is my village, and I’m a villager for them when I partake in sharing my gifts and making the space a better place. It isn’t about recognition, but it is about knowing that what I do is an act of love.
In washing the dishes for my housemate who is experiencing executive dysfunction, I am practicing my skills as a villager. In washing our communal dish towels, I am loving my community. Additionally, by allowing others to share themselves with me, I’m welcoming a village to grow within me.
I think it’s unfair to say it’s always easy to be a villager, but it’s always worth it when you know your support system is ready to lift you up when you fall.
I hold my village in high esteem, and I can’t imagine a life where I’m not a villager. There’s always going to be a part of me that seeks to share my gifts when I have the space to do so. I cannot wait to open my village to more people as I grow!