Just Talking

I’m going to do something different today.

I’m just going to talk. About communities. About uniting. About growing.

Because on Friday, my niece played in a concert.

Photo by Larisa Birta on Unsplash

Communities

People coming together, that’s a community.

We come together to build each other up, to mourn our neighbor’s loss, and to have fun together.

Or

We can tear each other down when we come together.

Either way, we have to come together to do it.

Choosing positive

This past week, my community honored those with a lifelong commitment to serving victims of domestic violence and grieving those we’ve lost to it (link). The community also continued our tradition of hosting a Spooktacular for children and families to have fun (link).

Choosing to build up is always harder than tearing down.

And it’s always better to build each other up.

Uniting

Drawing together in unity has little to do with goals and everything to do with values. Our common values bind us together even when our aims or perspectives send us separate ways. Love, kindness, and self-control; there’s no law against these because we all know their value.

So with love, kindness, and self-control, we hold each other accountable when one of us deviates from our values.

Growing

And the accountability feeds growth.

After my niece’s string concert, my wife made a comment that has stuck with me…Growth is communal, hard, and worth it.

The 5th-graders took the stage. Many of them having played for less than a year, the group performed a song they had seen only a few hours earlier for the first time. They did well because they worked together and took the accountability they received seriously.

When the older students performed, they tackled more challenging pieces together and likewise their hard work and cooperation showed. One piece garnered feelings of urgency while another brought laughter by imitating thrillers.

The fruit of each group’s growth filled the auditorium with beauty like the falling leaves of an autumn forest after the spring and summer growth.

Photo by Shiva Mardahi on Unsplash

Reader seeds 🌱

Readers have shared suggestions and feedback by commenting on posts, replying to these emails, and emailing me at Seeds@SowingHope.how. I’m excited to start this new section, Reader seeds, where I highlight stories you all suggest, questions you have, and comments you want to share.

Reader question for me

One of you sent in the question “Matt, How do you stay so positive?”

For the full transparency I’ve committed to you all, I often don’t feel very positive. I regularly struggle with fatigue, frustration, and self-doubt (yes, I know I broke the alliteration…I’m sorry 😅).

I think it really comes down to willfully, intentionally focusing on the good. I practice seeing situations and my neighbors in the best light possible, especially when I have to hold them accountable.

I think it also helps that I saw pretty early on how the negative narratives some people sow are hallow, shallow, and incomplete at best.

So I stay positive by practice. I hope that answers your question. 😁 Keep ‘em coming! 👍

Reader question for all of us

As the final thought, a reader suggested we all consider this question. As you think about it, share your response in the comments; they will be open to all free and paid subscribers for this post. Thanks, everyone! 🌱

Did someone do something thoughtful in your neighborhood?