MAKING CONNECTIONS
Building Our Culture of BELONGING During the Holiday Season
By Jules Warner
hat makes a community great? According to my W new friend Wayne, it’s the ability to enjoy quiet how the brain processes dying. It doesn’t feel good or moments, places to get some exercise, and opportunities to connect with others. And who is Wayne? If you’ve spent any time at all near Frank’s Alley in Uptown, you likely know Wayne as the tall gentleman holding signs enticing folks to grab a hot dog, and, in recent days, reminding the community to be at this year’s GlizzyFest. I had the opportunity to chat with Wayne about a week ago. I could tell he didn’t want to talk much about himself. He definitely wants people to know that he “just
holds the signs,” because he doesn’t want to take credit for Ross Horner’s clever artwork. Wayne is kind of quiet and shy, but I could tell that he has found a community of friends and a sense of belonging in Uptown. Wayne is also a reminder of the magic that happens when people form connections. Since I talked to Wayne, I’ve been thinking about that a lot. People who know me in real life might sideeye the notion that I am actually quite introverted, but it’s true. The job I have and the work I do requires a lot of travel and interaction with other humans. Sometimes the conversations are challenging. I’m often tired. I like to be at home, and I crave alone time. I think it’s fine to claim that space sometimes. And yet, my two closest friends (who happen to be social workers) often remind me that connection is a basic need for humans. Even for introverts like myself, there’s something innate in us that craves a sense of belonging. Why is that? According to my friends, it likely goes back to the earliest days of humanity, when belonging to a group was literally the difference between life and death. Research tells us that even today, teenagers who feel ostracized process that feeling in a similar way to
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safe to be excluded. The good news, however, is that we each possess the superpower that’s needed to take care of one another. We just have to be actively open to connecting with others. When we do that and work towards building a culture of belonging in our neighborhoods and community, we’re actively saving people, and remarkably, we’re also saving ourselves. We’re addressing loneliness but also, when people have chances to form support networks, they organically have access to more resources. The connections we have with others are some of the most profound pathways to opportunity. They’re often how we make new friends, find a new job, or even get help with food or housing. What if we all made it a point to keep that in mind this winter? The coming season can be an especially difficult time for those who are struggling. Some of us are having a hard time making ends meet. Some of us lost loved ones this year. Some of us may not have a warm or safe place to sleep. Some of
to support our local businesses when you’re shopping for gifts this year. Call and check in with that friend you haven’t talked to in months. Let the other driver in the parking lot have the better parking spot. Volunteer at one of our local charities that is focused on addressing poverty, food scarcity, or homelessness. If you have
us are worried about job security, some of us are making the impossible choice between buying groceries or medications, and some of us just need friends. The holiday season that’s just ahead of us can amplify feelings of anxiety, loneliness, and grief. So while this is an important time to be thankful for what we have, it is also a great time to think about how we can make a difference in our own communities and lend a hand to those who need us. Investing in our community with kindness can be as simple as holding the door open for someone, smiling at a stranger, or helping an elderly neighbor with their grocery bags. Try to make a point 6
NOVEMBER 2023
