Little Cohesive Communities By Linda Stowe
I’ve always been interested in the study of small communities—not small towns exactly, but the cultures that develop around a place or an activity. I’m talking about the informal worlds of hospitals, dog parks, universities, even truck stops. If you spend any amount of time in such a setting, it won’t be long until you notice behavioral protocols, minor clashes, and the occasional truce that emerges as people learn to share a space. When you think about it, we move in and out of these micro-communities every day. We spend time at the office, the grocery store, the YMCA, church, even Facebook. Each of us is connected with hundreds of others, all gathered in small, surprisingly cohesive communities.
Wordle guess words: about, until, study, truce, truck
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Polly here.
Once again, Linda’s Wordle story was highly interesting.
It is true. We do build “cultures” in many areas of our lives. We see this markedly in the workplace. Some businesses have great cultures, but other places are just miserable places to work in.
But I suppose this can be true in all of the small communities that we build. Book clubs. Church gatherings. Car pools. And on.
It seems that the dynamics of how people get along are usually guided by the people participating. Yet. Every so often, one person can ruin the entire thing. I’ve seen this happen in groups that I’ve been a part of.
Our human interactions can be quite wonderful. At the same time, they can be challenging and hard.
Hopefully, we can all find the places that do our hearts the most good. The places where we are welcomed and appreciated. The places where we can offer ourselves to others. And all of this, in good balance.
