Community, what I never found working in Silicon Valley I found in the goat community. Such a close knit bunch of goat farmers all working towards the same goal. We love raising goats...
Conversations. Most of those goat farmers I talk to in my journeys want just about the same thing. A life more connected with nature and the world around us.
Friendships. When you use a flip phone you can begin to call people again (texting is hard). That is when friendships, for me at least, began to feel more like they used to.
It's clear how commonality is necessary for building and living in community, and having similar goals, interests, ideals, desires help us connect meaningfully with one another and lead to feeling deeply connected to one another. Keep enjoying goat farming and all the warmth and connection it brings to your days :)
Oh Mehret, this is one of my favorite posts of yours: so touching and powerful. I'm planning to print it out and carry it with me (offline!) as I go about my day, so I can read it time and time again
Happy to hear this post really resonated with you! A practice I have for when I find ideas that really resonate is to journal about it in my own words/what it means to me. It helps with getting the idea to stick <3
So much hard but encouraging reality in this post! I needed the reminder to pay attention to life and allow it to astonish me.
The more I read about the loneliness in the connected generation, the more I realize how terribly the Western church has fallen down on the job of being a light, a family, and a place for people to go for ultimate refreshment and well-being. As a Christian, I bemoan the devolution of these once-strong religious communities into rock concerts with bite-sized motivational speeches that can never nourish the hearts of those desperately searching for connection.
I've been telling anyone who would listen I need to find a spiritual community. *sigh*
I grew up very religious in church so I know how beautiful it is to have a space to go to once a week, devoted to a spiritual practice, with others who believe similarly, and connect in such deep and joyful way. It sucks to hear religious communities have been watered down to what you've described, let alone find non-religious spaces that provide that spiritual connection.
It’s not that all churches are that way. It’s just very hard to find a good one. I have been blessed with one that strives to truly teach the Bible and has a congregation to treats each other like family. But it was a long time coming.
I don’t want to make it sound like it’s impossible, because it’s not. Just takes discernment and determination to find. And prayer, of course.
I appreciate your point about it's not impossible, it just takes effort, which has been the biggest lesson for me in going offline too, and applicable in many areas of life!
The scary part of these friendships is when they struggle, you struggle too.
❤️❤️❤️
Community, what I never found working in Silicon Valley I found in the goat community. Such a close knit bunch of goat farmers all working towards the same goal. We love raising goats...
Conversations. Most of those goat farmers I talk to in my journeys want just about the same thing. A life more connected with nature and the world around us.
Friendships. When you use a flip phone you can begin to call people again (texting is hard). That is when friendships, for me at least, began to feel more like they used to.
It's clear how commonality is necessary for building and living in community, and having similar goals, interests, ideals, desires help us connect meaningfully with one another and lead to feeling deeply connected to one another. Keep enjoying goat farming and all the warmth and connection it brings to your days :)
Oh Mehret, this is one of my favorite posts of yours: so touching and powerful. I'm planning to print it out and carry it with me (offline!) as I go about my day, so I can read it time and time again
Happy to hear this post really resonated with you! A practice I have for when I find ideas that really resonate is to journal about it in my own words/what it means to me. It helps with getting the idea to stick <3
So much hard but encouraging reality in this post! I needed the reminder to pay attention to life and allow it to astonish me.
The more I read about the loneliness in the connected generation, the more I realize how terribly the Western church has fallen down on the job of being a light, a family, and a place for people to go for ultimate refreshment and well-being. As a Christian, I bemoan the devolution of these once-strong religious communities into rock concerts with bite-sized motivational speeches that can never nourish the hearts of those desperately searching for connection.
I've been telling anyone who would listen I need to find a spiritual community. *sigh*
I grew up very religious in church so I know how beautiful it is to have a space to go to once a week, devoted to a spiritual practice, with others who believe similarly, and connect in such deep and joyful way. It sucks to hear religious communities have been watered down to what you've described, let alone find non-religious spaces that provide that spiritual connection.
It’s not that all churches are that way. It’s just very hard to find a good one. I have been blessed with one that strives to truly teach the Bible and has a congregation to treats each other like family. But it was a long time coming.
I don’t want to make it sound like it’s impossible, because it’s not. Just takes discernment and determination to find. And prayer, of course.
I appreciate your point about it's not impossible, it just takes effort, which has been the biggest lesson for me in going offline too, and applicable in many areas of life!
It’s effort well worth expending, I’ve found.