reverb10 :: december 7

December 7 Community

Where have you discovered community, online or otherwise, in 2010?

What community would like to join, create or more deeply connect with in 2011?

Yes and No. Can I just leave it at that? I suppose not.

After leaving the incredible community of Westmont a while ago, community has had to have a learning curve with me post-college. Moving to Seattle was a bit lonely, even though Kalin and Liz were there. I had wonderful co-workers, but outside of work, we really didn't have a close-knit community. I'm sure we would have made more of an effort if we would have stayed there longer.

When we arrived in Colorado, we were able to connect to a Westmont couple that I really didn't know well during my time there and from that friendship sprung new ones and a small bible study and from that there were marriages and two babies. It was really good.

With babies and school and most of all the responsibilities that come to new parents, that bible study disbanded, although we get to see each other once in awhile. During this past year, we had found a new church that we absolutely can't say enough about. After church-hopping for perhaps too long, we've found a new community. What I've enjoyed most is our Supper Group we had last Spring - just to get together and eat. It was great. We all laughed a lot and enjoyed the company. But that group was brief and our school schedules haven't worked with joining another group. Or, have we not made time in our schedule for the group?

Community does sound nice and I wish I had a well-defined one that we are a part of, but another side of me really isn't into defining a community because I, by nature and Myers-Briggs definition, am an introvert. Surprising? Not really. I need time alone to recharge. Selfish? Slightly.

In this chain-of-thought kind of response, I realize that I am apart of learning community in my MBA courses and absolutely love it. If you knew me in undergrad, I was never going to speak up in class. ever. Now, I worry that I talk too much. It's the content we talk about - I can actually relate vs. trying to think of questions about utils and diminishing marginal return. The active learning environment is so good for me. I love to work in my groups and be creative in the various aspects it provides and I enjoy the weekly challenges to come up with new ideas. But, I get really burned out after class and for a few days to follow...all of which lead me to procrastinate...as I have mentioned before...