Found Community

3 women in cafe Bri.jpg

This has been a long and emotional week for me. My husband had surgery and my daughter returned to college after a month that contained all of the joy and struggle it is to be the mother of a 19-year-old coming into her own. My body holds the worry, and because of Covid I don’t have my usual ways of dancing through it.

But something magic happened yesterday at this place I made… “I” has started becoming “we” almost imperceptibly. Through the day, as coworking members passed through, there were small but mighty conversations that deepened our connection. My artist friend Kelli came over with her puppy, we talked about how to make works that preschoolers could do, and also about children and feelings and sadness and stuff. Natalie from Undivided shared some exciting progress they are making as she passed through on her way upstairs to work. And on his way out the door, stirred up by a call he had been on, Dele spoke passionately about how we need “joy” more than ever right now, how we need to make joy, and respond with as much joy as we can muster to the hard things that we experience.

He didn’t know about my hard week, but his words resonated, and this morning when everything in me wanted to stay in my worry-gripped, stiff and painful body, grumpy because my in-person dance class was “full” and nothing else would do, I decided to answer with whatever joy I could muster. I sat down on the yoga mat, pressed “play.” I rolled up the rug and clicked “go” on the pre-recorded dance class.  I feel better. All the stuff is still in there, but my community, the one I am creating, lifted me up. I am grateful.