Community plays such an important role in all of our lives. Community can make our lives both easier and richer. When we lack community things can feel competitive, oppressive, and hostile. Conversely, community can make unpleasant circumstances much more bearable through both the practical support and the accompanying warm feelings.
Today I am reflecting upon my own personal experiences with community. They appear in so many forms and influence my life in differing ways. As I consider just a short portion of my day I see the impact of community throughout.
Family as Community
My past week has been very exhausting week that involved a cross country flight, the beginning of the school year, and catching up on work. My partner arose early this morning with our child, allowing me to sleep until an unheard of 8:30 am. I literally slept for a full 10 hours and it felt so luxurious. The support of my spouse, a very close member of my community, made this luxury possible.
Neighborhood Community
One reason I was tired was that we had a last minute soccer practice for my child last night. We had signed up for a community league that relies entirely upon volunteer coaches. We had received several messages that our team was still waiting for a coach in order to play this season.
I love to take part in community activities but, in addition to feeling a bit overloaded right now, I have never played a game of soccer in my life. My family was disappointed, but it seemed that we would not have a team this year.
In the eleventh hour two of the other parents stepped up to coach. They volunteered their time to allow all of the children on our team the opportunity to learn about and enjoy soccer. These are both adults with jobs and multiple children who are volunteering their time, skill, and energy for the benefit of children and families in our community.
I am grateful to live in a neighborhood where this is possible. We went from the disappointment of not having a team to the excitement of “our first practice is tonight” because of the generosity of our neighbors. Clearly the neighborhood sports league in our community plays a positive role in my child’s life.
Friends in Community
I awoke to a call from a friend and neighbor who had thrown out her back. She was stuck on the floor and could not move. I immediately drove over to help her out. This is the same friend who picked me up at the airport earlier in the week.
After getting her settled and leaving her place, I began to reflect upon the nature of friendship and community. She had made an airport run with no expectation of repayment. I would have helped her in her emergency even if she had not recently assisted me. The close time frame of these unrelated events emphasized the importance of having relationships within my local community. Neither offer of support was conditional or transactional. This is the beauty of community. My business may be conducted virtually, but so many aspects of our lives require physical presence.
The Community of Small Businesses
After leaving my friends home, I decided I wanted a coffee. I stopped at my local independent coffee shop for a hemp latte. This is the coffee shop I generally visit, but I only go on occasion so they don’t know me as a regular. (Shutout to Pico Cafe)
After placing my order, I reached for my wallet…and realized I didn’t have it. I had left my house in such a hurry that I had forgotten my money and credit cards.
I told the cashier to cancel the order because I did not have my wallet. Instead of canceling my purchase she respond that it was okay, I could just pay next time I came in. I was floored! Clearly this would not have happened at a chain coffee shop.
There is a lot of talk (which I agree with) about the importance of supporting local businesses. Often the focus is on the business owners, the ethics, or the economy. It is easy to overlook the advantages to us of having these local businesses. This lovely exchange was a reminder to me of the importance of local businesses to our communities.
Virtual Community
The business circle (aka, a Mastermind, but I don’t love that word) that I belong to is entirely virtual. Each Friday we have a breath work and meditation session that is held on a video call. I am looking forward to attending today and taking some time for myself and settling into my body.
This weekly meditation session is just one element of the circle. This virtual community plays such a vital role in the development of my business. Week after week I receive so much support and knowledge from the circle as a whole and the individual relationships I have formed within the group. This community is life giving and I have never even met most of the members in person. The ability to establish community across the globe is a huge benefit of living in our modern era.
Community and Personal Finance
The importance of community in my life cannot be understated. We all have slightly different understandings of or definitions for community. In my mind, community is simply different groups of people associated in a specific way, that we can rely upon for some form of support. Communities may be specific to location, religion, interest, personal characteristics, etc. No matter the structure, communities provide us with a feeling of inclusion and belonging that we crave as humans.
At this point, you may be wondering what this has to do with financial planning. If you have read my other blog posts or follow me on Instagram, however, you likely know that I do not limit my writing specifically to matters of economics or investing. Instead, I consider personal finance to be interwoven into nearly all areas of our lives.
Community plays an important role in our personal finances. Your local community is dependent upon the home that you own or rent – housing is certainly a matter of personal finances. Many people (and specifically women) rely upon others in their community for the childcare that allows them to work outside the home. Community can allow for bartering of goods and services that reduces our workload and/or our expenses. (For example, my friend picking me up from the airport saved me a $50 Lyft ride.) We all have to weigh the value of shopping locally at small businesses versus the frequently cheaper and more convenient online purchases. These are just a few of the ways that community is interlaced with our financial lives.
Maura Madden is a registered investment adviser in the State of Washington. The Adviser may not transact business in states where it is not appropriately registered, excluded or exempted from registration. Individualized responses to persons that involve either the effecting of transaction in securities, or the rendering of personalized investment advice for compensation, will not be made without registration or exemption.