What does your community look like?
Not the neighborhood or area where you live, but the people who surround and support you?
Do you have a large or small circle? Does that circle include family? What about coworkers?
In celebration of the Barbie movie coming out on July 21, we’re taking some time this month to learn what Barbie can teach us about living the Something More life. Last week we looked at self-discovery, and this week it’s all about community.
Barbie has literally had hundreds of friends. There was no way I could list them all here. I don’t know how many friends you have, but Barbie has me beat.
She may have hundreds of friends or acquaintances, but like most of us, her inner circle is tight. Her OG best friend, and oldest friend, is Midge, who she grew up with. Her closest friends also include Ken, Christie, Mattel’s first African-American Barbie, and Teresa, who comes from a Hispanic heritage.
Barbie’s community also includes her family. Did you know Barbie is one of seven children? Depending upon your age and whether or not you have any little girls in your community, you likely remember Barbie’s little sisters, Skipper, Stacie and Chelsea (who used to go by Kelly). She also has twin siblings, Tutti and Todd, of which one when missing, but we’ll save that for True Crime Barbie.
Looking at Barbie’s community, you can easily see a lot of appearances, interests, and more demonstrated. Even the trailer for the upcoming movie shows just how many different types of Barbies there are. Granted, they all answer to the name Barbie, but they are all different.
In our world today, we may share our name with others, but we are still unique. It takes each individual, wonderfully created person to make up a community.
Our community is made up of people like us with similar interests and stages of life. But it should also include others UNlike us, from different areas with different interests.
People of various ages and from different stages of life, as well as those heritage, culture and ethnicity unlike our own have so much wisdom, value and color to add to our lives.
The people who belong to our community, whether they are friends, family, coworkers, fellow churchgoers, or someone you know from the gym, wherever they come from, help to support us. Individually and together, they contribute to our lives, comfort us, encourage us, and provide a safe place to fall.
They are the ones we choose to do life with.
If your community could use a little variety, try going outside your box to meet new people and experience something new.
If you’re feeling without community, finding your people may seem overwhelming. Start small by making a list of your interest. Then, search for things happening in your physical community that incorporate the things on your list. There’s a good chance attending an event or festival or visiting a store could result in you meeting a new friend. Even if it doesn’t, it gives you the opportunity to see there are other people nearby with similar interests as you.
We would do well to take a Barbie moment and consider our community. Be grateful for each person, who they are and who they help you to be.