Having lived in big cities for most of my life, I agreed with the adage that “good fences make good neighbors.” In all that time, it was rare to meet a neighbor despite living in such proximity to so many people. The fast pace of the city made it a challenge to create a sense of community, and I preferred it that way. I had grown accustomed to building walls and isolating myself. I believed that this made life easier, less complicated. A good neighbor was one with whom I had limited interaction.
Moving to New Tree Ranch has changed my thinking. This change became obvious when the first article about our project was published in a local paper. The paper had reported on the difficulties of cannabis permitting in our area. Because of this article, my local community responded with concern. Neighbors began to reach out to me to discuss our project and their misgivings. I felt threatened, worried that I did not have the time to reach out to my community. How wrong I was!
The truth is that the article was the means that allowed me to meet my neighbors. What I learned was that my community was a source of incredible knowledge and resources. Initial conversations very easily lead to new friendships. These new friendships in turn lead to creative ideas, valuable advice, and much-needed guidance. All this was freely available to me. All I had to do was let down my walls and embrace the beauty of community. And so, this season, all of us at New Tree Ranch have been meditating on the beauty of community.  What we are learning is that individually, we can accomplish some things; together, we can accomplish many things.