When I think of the concept of community, I think of buds getting ready to bloom on springtime trees.
Each bud is a slightly different size, some more full than others, and all in distinct stages of their development. There is no right or wrong, the bud is perfect.
Even though the buds are separated by proximity on the branch, or even by being on different branches, they all share the same goal. Individually, each bud opens to become the full, glorious bloom that they were meant to be.
They are fulfilling their life’s purpose.
Yet together, these magnificent individual blooms create a new life and a new vision. The blooms know that to survive, they need each other. They also know that their community is strengthened by allowing themselves to be nurtured by an outside force—Mother Earth.
They welcome her, cherish her, and contribute to her beauty. All one.
For us humans, this is not always the case. Too many times, judgment, comparison, expectations, fear of difference, or the desire to make others fit our idea of who they should be get in the way.
Community should be about embracing our differences, coming together to support one another and accepting that we are all here to be truly ourselves. When we give kindness and support to someone else, and then receive blessings in return, we create a wonderful loop of giving and receiving.
Community should be a safe place where all are welcomed and allowed to show up as they are. Like buds on a tree, we have the opportunity to ‘be’ together, bloom at varying rates, and support each other along the way.
Perhaps when we feel comfortable being ourselves in a safe and open environment, we are fulfilling our life’s purpose. Perhaps that is part of why we are here on this beautiful planet Earth.
What would it be like to have a community, family, and a world that encourages you to be who you are?
What would it be like to have differences accepted?
What would it take for each of us to become the kind of community we wish to experience?
Perhaps true community is not about becoming more alike. Perhaps it is about creating a space where each of us is free to become exactly who we were meant to be—and where our individual blooming makes the whole more beautiful.