Folly #77: Creating Community (II)

Part 2: Finding connection and support in a very personal way.

Recently I wrote about community as an act of gathering voices for change. Community is a driving force in my work and life, and I’m surrounded by reminders of the ways it creates a benevolent universe.

Healing Gifts

A vibrant, generous, beautiful friend was diagnosed this year with cancer. (I’m grateful beyond words to say that she’s had treatment and is healthy.)

Sensibly, she took a break from her work in the philanthropic sector to tend to her healing. And getting back into the swing was slower than she expected. Through it all, she kept her colleagues informed.

Portion of a Pixabay image used with thanks to illustrator CDD20

One foundation unexpectedly sent her a gift called Spoonful of Comfort. Neither of us had heard of this business, but they create gift boxes that feel personal: each includes soup and some other thoughtful goodies. Their get well gifts offer a range of special choices.

(I have no connection to them and am not making a push for their products, although my friend had good things to say.)

What I loved was the spirit of community in this gift:

Talking about an illness in a work setting. That can feel dicey. When we don’t, we bottle it up and often make things harder for us and the people who depend on us. When we do, beautiful things can happen.

Making it a business priority to acknowledge staff, contractors and vendors facing hardship. Thinking “we pay them, and shouldn’t meddle” is ridiculous. These are people we trust for important things. They are people we communicate with honestly about challenging and difficult situations in our work. They are people first, and “staff” second.

Giving personal gifts. In this age of convenience, online shopping, and gift cards, something distinctive chosen just for me feels like a luxury.

A wise Buddhist friend, teacher and author of

Zen Bones

, hosts a weekly online meditation practice. Years ago one of the participants, a French woman, made a powerful observation that has stayed with me.

In other countries, we show up at work as we are. But my experience in the U.S. is that you have to show up as some impersonal version of yourself.

An impersonal version of myself is a singular – and singularly uninteresting – version. At my age, I’m more myself at work than I’ve ever been, and it’s what makes people want to work with me.

It’s the holidays. Let’s support nonprofits with sustainable, monthly giving. And let’s support each another in our many communities – as funders and grantees who create impact together, as neighbors who live together, as work colleagues who give it our all together, and as friends who play together.

Keep an open ear. And send soup.