Cassie's Series of Adventures: Community Spirit in London and Beyond

Image found on Miracle Gro - Top 10 Gardening Tips for Beginners

Dear Readers!

Today I had a very special morning - and it's all thanks to your sweet and motivating messages, comments and suggestions. After so many months of silence, I didn't actually expect much responsiveness but once again I got positively surprised! I realised how many amazing people I have in my life. Also, it felt great to actually get so much positive feedback on doing something that is in accordance with myself. Even more so than if it was something that I was simply hired to do. Hence, a big thank you to all of you out there, guys. You know who you are :) 

STORY TIME ...

There is one more reason why this morning was so special to me. When I first started writing this post around 10-11am, I was sitting behind a desk, with a mug of green tea and a sushi platter. On the side, some cheeky items awaited the dessert time: dark chocolate, apples and walnuts. Behind the window I could hear a group of adults with spades and shovels. They were gardening in the square in front of my current house. Most of them had a T-shirt saying "Green Gym". I haven't heard about it before but now that I checked it out, I've learnt that it is a conservation volunteering group, mixing ideals of physical activity, spending time in nature and making a difference to the local environment, all while taking care of one's own wellbeing. For those of you based in London, here is a link to learn more: https://www.tcv.org.uk/london/green-gym-london 

The first plants. 

As always, I am happy to discover something new. Especially if it comes right to my door. That's why when I was sitting behind my desk, a part of me started to wonder whether I should just put some clothes on and join them outside. After all, isn't it a call to adventure? So of course, that is precisely what I did. That's how I got to know that the name "Green Gym" is actually pretty fitting. Digging, levelling and lifting the wheelbarrow - altogether, it is definitely a good workout. For me, it turned out to be the arms day.

Me with a spade. Beware.

Initially, I stood behind my door with a heart beating fast, trying to gather the courage inside of me to just leave the house and ask a random group of strangers whether they need any help. Finally, I forced myself to do so by making the first step - openning the door. When I reached them, my voice suddenly went really hoarse. So believe me when I say that these things happen to even the most confident of us from time to time. But soon, I got into a flow of work and started to have a lot of fun. We also had a lovely tea break, with coffee, tea and biscuits. Here is a shot of mine :) 

This, along with the previously mentioned sense of joy I got from your reactions to my yesterday's post, made me think of a community spirit in more general terms. Hence, today's topic:  

-COMMUNITY SPIRIT-

Found on: Pinterest.

DEFINITION

Community spirit is a feeling of involvement in and concern for one's local community - that is, a group of people living in the same place or having a particular characteristic in common. Community spirit finds expression in individual or group activities in which members of a community choose to engage for the benefit of that community. These activities may be locally organised, or informal and spontaneous.

It is usually something I associate with small towns or villages, with countries like Denmark or Sweden, with schools or hippie communes, with American TV series (Gilmore Girls!) or Hallmark movies, and with books like Hygge, Lykke or Lagom.  

When I moved to London, one of the first things I whined about was the lack of the sense of belonging. I perceived London as a grey workaholic city in which hundreds of people live next to each other but in which it is not customary to actually know your neighbours. I thought of the previous four years spent in the heart of Kent county with nostalgia. I missed the rock bands performing on the farmers' markets, children trick or treating with their parents on Halloween and the fact that on Guy Fawkes Night all of us gathered at the same hill. Which was probably because there was no other.

A pub next to which I lived for a year in a village of Tyler Hill.
Found on Tripadvisor. 

Since then, I have experienced a bit more of the London's spirit (or perhaps I should rather say - spirits). I have attended some events, talks, activities and pop-ups. I have found unique Meetups and hidden spots (which I will happily share with you if you like!). Yet, there are still so many people around me who openly declare themselves as lonely. They recall their hometowns and no matter whether they come from Italy or Australia, they all find London life a one that does not encourage bonding. In fact, London as a city has even appointed a Loneliness Minister. 

PSYCHOLOGY

As humans, we are social species. The needs to belong and connect with others run deep and ensure our survival. In many ways they can become of a primary concern, even before the physiological needs. That is one of the potential reasons why a lonely person or a person with a heartbreak may stop eating. Or why another person may go out of their way to become a part of a specific group despite it not granting their need of safety or free self-expression.  

Gilmore Girls. Stars Hollow's "The Old Muddy River Bridge Knitathon".
Found on bustle.com 

Tribe is a natural social arrangement for human beings, similar to a herd of deers or a pack of wolves. Evolutionary-speaking, not only our survival but also our shared progress depends on our relationships with others. Here, I am aware that this topic is a vast one. There are a lot of things to be said or researched. There is a lot of space for discussion. However, as for now, I would like to start with this:

TOP 11 WAYS TO CONNECT WITH COMMUNITY

Whether in London or any other big city, these are some of my tested ways to get into a community spirit:  

1. See the city's cultural programme. Is there a poetry night? A book club? A guest talk? A free walking tour? A gallery openning (expect Prosecco) ?  

2. Join a local Meetup Group. You may think you know how it will go... But from my experience, this way is always full of surprises. (Like this time I joined a Wiccan coven in their celebration of the Moon...).

3. If you can afford it, sign up for a specific course. Language, dance, fruit carving... BUT: If you can't afford it, find it somewhere for free. In 50% of cases you can. 

4. Volunteer. Grab a shovel and help plant veggies in a community garden or help set up a festival. Also, check out the local projects like book swaps or The Big Lunch.

5. Set up a group yourself. Become a leader of a pack. Take care of your tribe.

6. Live in a shared accomodation with strangers. This type of environment naturally encourages bonding. 

7. Knock to your neighbour's door, introduce yourself and leave an open invitation. 

8. Take part in competitions or challenges (like Writing Cooperative or Daily UI). Then publish the results on a shared page like Medium (for writing), Dribbble (for graphic design), etc. 

9. Leave notes with affirmations (or so) in public spaces. Perhaps link it to a specific hashtag on an Instagram account and see the smiles or confusion on people's faces. Two or three years ago, I experienced a rather unique seasonal take on such social action: free-to-take affirmations written on big autumn leaves, stuck to the floor and walls of the underground tunnel (see: below).  

10. Join an online group, forum, app, blog, network or a digital community. Sometimes even a Facebook or Reddit group can already make you feel more connected to the world. Once again, I recommend platforms such as Behance, Writing Cooperative, Medium, Dribbble, Slack, DeviantArt - anything related to your passions, your environment or your location. Online tools can be great despite their stigma of being an escape from reality - but this we will need to leave till the next post.

The leaf message I found *-*

And what are your thoughts on all this, Dear Reader? Do you also feel lonely in a big city? Or perhaps you have some other tips for improving the community spirit? If so, feel free to share them in a post. Wish you all a good and happy day!

-A.