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Your Village


It seems the word, "Village" became popular after Hilary Clinton wrote her book, "It takes a Village". I have never read the book, but I believe it was about raising children and how important a village is during that time. The saying, "It takes a Village" emphasizes that a child's upbringing is a communal effort involving many different people or groups. Often parents are involved but so are neighbors, teachers, grandparents and friends just to name a few. The concept is a collective involvement of a community essential to achieve a goal or to complete a task, like raising a child. 

Following her last curling game, the announcer interviewed Jennifer Jones. He said to her, "it takes a village". Over the years we have all watched as Jennifer's village cared for her children, supported her and made it possible for her to achieve what she did for the world of curling. 

When I was writing this I was thinking, what makes a good village? Many young couples are lucky to have a huge village of people to help them with their children. Simple things like a pickup at school or attending activities are a luxury for both the parents and grandparents. Other couples don't have family close, and they have to depend on their village of friends. The one thing I think every young couple needs in their village is a reliable babysitter outside of the family. Alone time is very important to regroup and reenergize. Villages are so important to raise a child. 

Once you get past the children's village you move on to an adult village. Some people refer to these people as "their tribe". In my village or my tribe, I have a bestie and other important good friends. Every one of my friends serves a purpose in my life. They are put there for a reason. They help me sort my life when it needs sorting. They support me and help me along my way. In my village I also have people that provide me with concepts about life. Those people are usually hairdressers or therapists. It seems a person is always a lot wiser following an appointment. Having "like people" in my village is a big one for me. Having a common goal with total strangers is what I need. Those tribe members have no clue how I will grab onto one little word or line they have said and process it to work in my life. I have people in my village that are there to simply bring me joy. They keep me active and doing fun things that make me feel good about myself. Family is always a key part of any village. For a variety of reasons, villages are transient, people come in and out of our lives for what is known as a season.     

If you are the type of person that talks about your village or your tribe, I am sure you can relate to this post. If this is a new concept for you, you may want to think about developing a village. If you already have a village, I am going to ask, how is it working? Does it need some attention? Do you need an add and delete button for your village? 

What is important to me is to not only how I honor my own village, but how I honor being part of someone else's village. 


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