What’s the meaning of community?

Where do you go from here? Chaos or community?

Jefferson Starship

Give and Take.

I’ve been pondering the idea of community a lot recently. 

To be honest, Jane and I have been debating this topic for some time now. We’ve come at it from the notion of volunteerism. Who volunteers…and why? Do you volunteer because you are part of a community—or because you want to become part of a community? 

As way of defining community to me, let me share that one of the reasons I decided to relocate to Steamboat Springs was because I saw it as a “real” town with “real” people making “real” livings. I thought that it would resonate with the way I wanted to lead my life. 

But it doesn’t take a small town to achieve this communal kinship….community can be of any size as long as it long as it shares an identity. That means a history, culture, government, and “sense” of location (giving sway to the bevy of online communities.) Or it may mean a set of similar characteristics or common interests. 

LA is as much a community as Steamboat Springs is. And we are all part of even larger communities: I very much feel a kinship to people who live, work, and play in the incredible state that is Colorado. Rick feels a part of the Air Force community even though he’s no longer part of its active forces. We all feel an allegiance to our country—and many of us feel part of the larger global community as well. 

You, too, may begin to question—in midlife—what community means to you and what your role is in your community. And you may choose to volunteer as a means to better connect to and build on your sense of community.

I didn’t begin to volunteer until I was in my mid-twenties and single. I dabbled in environmental one-day-only projects and spent a couple years as a Big Sister. It wasn’t until I turned 40 and had recently relocated to Denver that I became both politically aware and quite active in giving back.

My motivations were simple. I wanted to be part of a community—and I wanted to be part of something bigger than myself.  I needed to develop a sense of wholeness. 

This is where I think it gets hard for people. You may feel as I did, but wonder how in the world you will find time to give back when you are working 50 or 60 hours a week, constantly on the road for business, and/or raising a family? Is it really that important to step outside of yourself for the benefit of others? Perhaps it is. After all, recent research has proven that those who regularly volunteer have stronger immune systems, lower blood pressure and lower risk of heart attack and cancer. They also heal faster and live longer. 

The key? Volunteer in ways that seem meaningful to you. My baby sister has kids and, as a result, has gotten active in volunteering at their schools (and occasional substitute-teaching and other part-time paid gigs) and contributes her time to both Girl Scouts and Boy Scouts. I have a lot of friends that tutor, partner, or otherwise engage with kids. God bless them all, but that stuff doesn’t ring my chimes. 

Jane has always had an interest in dance and has turned that passion into leading a volunteer organization to bring the dance arts into a fuller focus within L.A. Her husband always collected modern art; he found a way to leverage that love by helping to create Los Angeles’ Museum of Contemporary Art. I attempted to become involved in our local Art Depot but found the work not very satisfying to my soul. 

It’s important to understand what rings true for you.  

For me, I’ve been able to identify three areas that I now choose to focus on.  While working with cancer patients in Denver, I uncovered my capacity to be with people who are dying and the ability to see their time with me as their gift to me. I now do Hospice work and, as a result, I was asked to join the board of our rural Visiting Nurse Association (VNA.) I’ve been able to contribute my management and leadership skills while learning more about the incredibly challenging field of health care. I give….but I also get back. 

I live 20 miles north of Steamboat Springs and this northern part of the county has its own very unique culture, history, and location. For five years I’ve sat on the board of our local rural fire protection district. I was initially interested because I wanted to learn more about our small community of about 2000 people spread across 441 square miles of mostly ranch lands and government managed resources (State Parks, National Forests, and BLM grazing lands) and to understand the challenges faced by my neighbors. In other words, I wanted to become a true part of this community. 

The third area is the environment. I’ve participated in Nature Conservancy projects and have gone on “weed patrol” several times, searching out and removing invasive plants. I’ve also recently headed a local community effort to create more effective defensible space around our “wildland urban interface” homes and collaborate with the National Forest Service on dealing with the effects of the devastating pine beetle epidemic we are facing. 

Believe it or not, all these volunteer efforts have heightened my interest in politics. Health care policy, the availability of fire fighting grants and the role of first responders in times of crises, and the policies surrounding the management of our natural resources. And, unlike Sarah Palin, I believe it is patriotic to pay taxes…monies that benefit our communities—be it for local, state, federal, or global initiatives. We are linked to one another, whether we like it or not! 

No, I’m not thinking of getting into politics. But this year’s election seems all the more important to me because of my volunteering interests. 

Maybe that’s why, for most of us, the interest in politics seems to bloom when we’re older, less interested in career advancement, and our families are firmly established. For many of my friends in their 40’s, they shake their heads as I forward emails, cringe when I send them links to my politically ranting blogs, and otherwise refuse to engage in any dialogue regarding this election. That’s OK. I think that sooner or later, something may click and suddenly, it will matter to them who creates policy and what those policies are. So let’s put politics aside for now…and just agree that volunteering is “a good thing.” After all, midlife is the time when many men and women choose to actively engage with their communities. Why not make it your time?

Don’t have any good ideas on where to start? There are many resources on the web—you might start with www.volunteermatch.org.

For those of you who are already volunteering, please share your stories with us. Others could learn from your experiences.

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