Me in the Community

Friday afternoon I found myself grabbing some of my weekly groceries after teaching my spin class. As I strolled away from the deli meat on my way to grab some hummus I ran into a friend. We stopped to chat; we hadn’t seen each other in a while. Five minutes went by and we parted ways, continuing our shopping endeavors separately. I made my way through the can good foods, then I looked up and smiled. There, heading towards me, another familiar face. I met him in the middle of the aisle and again I stopped to chat.

Eight months ago I made my first trip through this same grocery store with my mom as we purchased things to fill my empty cabinets. I was starting my new adventure; A new job in a new city.

It’s comforting to see that now things are familiar to me, like the people I see at the grocery store. It didn’t happen over night though and it didn’t happen without intentionally becoming invested in the community.

While living in Wichita Falls many people told me that they liked living in the small town because they knew everyone. The people I spoke to liked the feeling of bumping into familiar faces at the grocery store. I argued this did not only take place in small towns. Growing up in Southern California we would often bump into other families in my little league or classmates from school during my family's trip to Target.

If you invest in getting to know your community, whether it is a city big or small, you will start to feel a part of it. Suddenly your calendar will fill up with social events and you will know what’s happening there not by reading the news, but through the people making it.

It feels good to see my growth in the community I live in Cincinnati, and I can’t wait to see how much further it can grow as I continue to invest my time in the people and places the city has to offer.

#community