Rainbow over a neighborhood

Right now is the most fertile time for positive change that the world has seen in a very long time. Freshly plowed fields, disguised as devastated neighborhoods lay before us, waiting for the seeds of new ideas. There are many hopeful signs, even in the midst of anxiety. If the imploding economy makes you nervous, and worry about keeping your job and your home keeps you awake, this is the perfect time to get to know you neighbors and to learn whom you can turn to for support.

The scope of the change knocking on our doors compels us to look for answers in an unusual place: our communities. Elected officials at all levels of government are searching for workable ideas to provide relief to communities and anchor residents. Although I don’t have the answers I am convinced of the method: gather as a community every month to brainstorm for solutions to universal problems. This will uncover lots of ideas. Many of them could be effective and some of them may be brilliant. I have unshakable faith in the power of a community to know what it needs, to recruit others, to attract resources and to create solutions. Soon, the government will begin throwing tax payer dollars into projects. (note: I wrote this  before the 2010 mid-term election that has turned our “democracy” on its head.) The potential for mismanagement, waste and fraud is staggering. Now is the time to mobilize your community to create solutions that lift everyone.

My blog post, Single Parents Dilemma talks about single moms who work long hours and their children who wait for them to come home. The Lathe That Got Away tells the true story of an aspiring carpenter who lived across the street from a master wood turner and didn’t know it. Both stories illustrate the point that untapped resources in every community could provide tangible benefits if the needs and the resources can be matched. Community gatherings are the spark to make it happen.

Tags: co-ops, community