Being a villager

Do you feel like we’re rounding the corner of how we see ourselves in our village?

This was a topic that came up in book club last night. We spent a lot of time discussing the book, I had came up with a few questions to ask about the book but the questions brought to light more than just our responses.

The nice thing about book club? The time. The time you know you have blocked off for you. The time you get to share with other people. The time you took to invest in yourself and others through this little reading connection.

But also the time we get to sit with each other, to expand and understand different styles of thinking and relationship dynamics.

Last night, when we were working through our answers to one of the questions on the book, we squirreled off to talking about being a villager.

This concept hit a little viral spark over the past year on socials, “people are complaining about not having a village but they don’t recognize that they too must be a villager”.

My personal expereince has been that for the past decade or so there has been this shift of ‘doing what’s best for me’. While that is absolutely valuable and true; learning what your needs and boundaries are in any style of relationship, is important. It almost became this ‘out’ for folks. Villages became a bit more virtual, with the physical load becoming even heavier.

It feels like this is shifting again though. Coming back around the bend if you will. Where I am feeling (and seeing) more physical villages being built back up. Clearer communication. More sacrifice to help the ones you love. Maybe we’ve finally settled into understanding ourselves? Maybe we are, too, ready for support? While the why may be left undefined, it’s so nice to be a villager and to be part of something growing.

<3