Expressing what community means to all of us
Sometimes words get in the way. It happens when we want to describe something meaningful to us. Big and long words that make up big and long sentences make sense to us as we think of capturing exactly what we want to say about something important; and still, what we write or say ends up not making sense to most of everyone else.
I recently read a definition of what it means to be a community. It went on and on and as I read it I thought of an attorney’s office. Walls lined up with books that looks like encyclopedia sets. Phones ringing in the background. Suits and ties. Shiny shoes. People seen quickly walking back and forth through venetian blinds. And long, long words crammed into longer sentences.
I say, rubbish to all of that! I like short sentences and even shorter words. I especially like them when we describe meaningful things like what it means to be a community, and as we began to tiptoe into a post-pandemic world, I think of what I miss most about what makes us communities.
To me, community is hearing people laughing as they sit in outdoor restaurant patios. I don’t know exactly what they are saying but I hear and see people together, sharing and enjoying.
