Build the Community You Need To Have More Joy

This past weekend I met up with some women from the Philadelphia Single Mother By Choice (SMC) group.  There were about 7 or 8 women and 4 or 5 kids.  It was a really nice afternoon.  I am glad I went.  As with my first meet up with these women I came away feeling good about my choice to pursue the same path to motherhood and impressed with how happy their children seem.
This time I came away with another impression as well.  There were two women who were first timers at the meeting.  We discussed where we were in the process and why we were there.  Basically we were all at the meet up for the same reason.  We are trying to create the community that we need.  They say it takes a village to raise a child and we are trying to fill our village with families that will look like ours. I left the meeting thinking about how important it is for all of us to create the communities we need.
In the same neighborhood as the SMC meet up there happen to be a huge block party going on.  I mean this block party covered several city blocks in all directions. I found out later that it was the LGBTQ communities Outfest block party.  While I was inside meeting and connecting with women on a similar life path as me to build my community, there were hundreds if not thousands of people right outside doing the same thing, connecting with people on a similar life path to build their communities.

Building the communities we need is a vital aspect of finding more Joy.  

No one goes through life alone.  When we feel alone or isolated depression can creep in, sickness is more likely, and anxieties are more prevalent.
Seek out your community.  When I go to blog conferences in addition to learning I am there to fill my community with bloggers.  When I go to church I am there to praise God but also to bring more Christians into my community.  When I go to family functions sometimes there is a bit of obligations but I am also there to include my family members into my community.  This is the same reason we go to alumni functions and outings with friends and co-workers.  All of these activities serve to build our communities.
So, if you are feeling lonely.  If you don't have people on a similar life path as you I challenge you to do the work to bring those people into your community. Show up at the meet up.  Honor the invitation to get together.
What are you doing to build the community you need?
If you already have your community make sure you Find Joy In Your Circle of Trust.