This week three separate articles landed in our inboxes along the same theme: community isn’t always convenient or comfortable, and we need to embrace that. This article from our lovely friends at the Green Fix is a particularly good read, and we wanted to share our own take on this idea because we think it’s an important and exciting one.
The argument goes like this: We all want a village to support us when we need it, but not enough of us are willing to be villagers. Or to put it another way, we all want grassroots local support and activities, but when we’re tired, or can’t be bothered, or someone has annoyed us, or it’s chucking it down outside… do we show up anyway? Are we willing to be a bit inconvenienced or have our routine messed up in order to invest in our community? And how does this sit alongside setting boundaries, saying ‘no’, and making time for self-care?
There’s no simple answer here, because communities aren’t simple things, and reading these articles we wondered whether the beauty in the mess might be the missing piece of the puzzle?
Communities are complex, ever-changing things, with many voices, some of which say stuff that makes us uncomfortable. Grassroots groups and projects are finding their way as they go, learning from mistakes, leaning on whatever skills and resources they can. Things go in weird directions or fizzle out, people disagree…it’s messy and hard work, in the same way that families and friendship and relationships are messy and hard work.
But we all know that those things are worth it. What emerges is something that brands and governments don’t own and can’t offer us, something that is totally and uniquely and imperfectly ours. Something beautiful that can nourish and sustain us for the long haul, if we’re willing to show up and build it, even when we don’t feel like it.
Today, Wales, and much of our world feels angry, broken, and grey; now, more than ever, we need to see and celebrate the beauty in the uncomfortable, tangled work of community building. If we want to live in resilient, loving communities, then showing up is sacred.
