I've had the beginnings of several blog posts in my head over the last month and none of them came out to more than a paragraph or so. I think there's a theme here of community. So here are some general musings (ramblings?) on community. Join or Die…
“Our democracy needs us to be joiners”I watched a documentary on Netflix recently called “Join or Die”. It’s a movie about "why you should join a club, and why the fate of America depends on it” and is based largely on Harvard social scientist Robert Putnam’s experience researching, writing, and defending his book “Bowling Alone”. That book tied the decline in membership of bowling leagues to a deeper and more disturbing trend of social isolation and a deterioration of community that accelerated during COVID. I haven’t fully processed the whole thing, and I am eager to have a conversation with someone else about it. So, please watch it and then let’s get coffee.I’M JUST HAPPY TO BE HERE
“If you want to be happy for a year, get married. If you want to be happy for a decade, get a dog. If you want to be happy for the rest of your life, make a garden.”I’ve been in recovery from substances for almost 15 years. I oftentimes take a step back to look at my life and I can’t help but think “this wasn’t how it was supposed to be.” And I mean that in a good way. A little more than 15 years ago, through a long and calamitous series of shattering experiences, I found myself being helplessly propelled toward total destruction. On the other end of that destruction was not: finding the love of my life and being happily married; co-founding the business of my dreams with a partner who is my perfect complement; being an upstanding member of my community! People trust me! People like me! People confide in me! On the other side of that destruction was death and despair.So….I’m honestly just happy to be here. I’m happy to be included, to be given opportunities, to be granted the privilege of helping. My garden is lush and varied. My garden is full to the brim and yet there’s always room for another row (another bed? Another plot? I don’t….actually garden). I have access to so many different types of communities in my personal and professional life, and have been able to facilitate a couple of thriving communities that I hope have contributed to other’s gardens. In the Join or Die doc they talked a lot about how clubs and associations built trust through non linear reciprocation - I’m going to give you a tomato today not because I think you’ll give me one tomorrow, but because someone in the community will give me a tomato someday. As a reformed “scorekeeper”, I felt this deeply.Strengthening The Collective
At the beginning of our weekly meeting, Rebecca and I have a question that we ask. We usually decide on a new question during our annual retreats, and then switch it up once or twice throughout the year when it no longer serves us. Earlier this year the question was “Are we growing our Collective?”. We were focused on growth so it made sense. After a while, and after dozens of “yes, duh, next” answers, we switched the question. Now we ask “Are we strengthening The Collective?” Because our vision as a company is that the success of the economy is measured by the strength of the collective.It’s not enough for us to “be successful”. We want our community to thrive, we want to exist in a world where non linear reciprocity is the norm and not a concept that makes me want to cry because it sounds so nice and I want it so bad. We’re hosting a Women in Impact PDX Gathering next Thursday - this is an event we’ve been putting on quarterly for the last year or so and the goal is to create collective effervescence - the feeling of energy and harmony when people are engaged in a shared purpose or experience.Next week is going to be rough. I felt the floodgates open on my election anxiety this week. I’ve been trying to “look for the helpers” and stay optimistic and positive. But this week I started consuming media again in a haphazard and unfiltered way which was a mistake but alas. Here are a couple of things I’ve done to keep the extreme anxiety at bay:- “A Merry Lofi Christmas” - it feels egregious to start listening to Christmas music in October, but this lofi playlist somehow feels acceptable and soothing
- Coloring books and general crafting
- Rigorous exercise so that I can attribute my elevated heart rate to something other than panic
Xoxo, Sarah 
