This article is based on responses to a Daily Haloha provoking question:

I feel part of my community when___

I had the fortune to be requested by Amy Giddon to do this interesting work on what we shared dreams: to write an article based on the wise and plenty of compassionate feeling of Daily Haloha community.  

The day was October 12 Th, a Saturday.

A few days after Amy sent me much more than one hundred anonymous  responses from all over the world.

My first reaction was, wow! what I am going to do with all these great contents? 

So, I decided to categorize the responses and what I obtained was this:

1. To say hello neighbors
2. Identity, recognition, and self-esteem
3. Strong relationships
4. To do something for people
5. To be part of a community project
6. Community places
7. Togetherness

Reading this list I felt like climbing a stairway.  So, now, moved by those responses I will share with you what I've learned from the wise wall of Daily Haloha.

Since I was a little boy experienced the benefits of that warm and nourishing space that we call “community”.  Fortunately, since decades before the human race grew up in consciousness about we are living in a unique same common house, and what you do right or wrong affects everybody.  Traveling, reading and especially talking with people of different cultures, hopefully, I've found strong communities. In other places where community sense is weak, fortunately, I've found people putting seeds because they are plenty of consciousness that without healthy communities human being can’t grow up in the more extended way you can understand this word. 

So, let’s climb the stairway together….

1st and 2nd Step

To say hello neighbors/ 

Identity, recognition, and self-esteem

It seems that the first thing we need to feel that we are part of the community is to be recognized as a unique member. We love to be called by our name or at least received a Hello even in the streets and surely this provokes a smile, that marvelous way of putting a brick in the bridge between you and me, me and you. 

The greeting is the first key, a discrete open door, a meaningful message: you exist for me. And if I am valued as a unique person, my identity is recognized, and if I am recognized, I feel I'm not alone.  I am a member of, I belong to, so, others value me and that’s so good for my self-esteem.  And a feeling of emotional security surrounds me, giving me a peaceful mind environment where I can be who I am, and that’s very good!

“People nod and smile at me in the street” Cheltenham, England, United Kingdom.

 “I can be my authentic self” Washington, District of Columbia, United States.

From Daily Haloha wall

3rd Step

Strong relationships

What is a strong relationship?

The first thing it comes to my mind is: strong things are for the long term. 

Oh, yes, but have you the experience of being in touch for only one time with a person that you gratefully would remember for the rest of your life? 

I think confidence is the basic material of what relationships are made of, a strong but also fragile structure, so we can’t rest on what we achieved, we must care about the treasure that we have every day, everywhere and in every situation.

We are in a strong relationship when we can trust each other. And this is like a jump with a net below. 

It is necessary to jump and be warmly received.

Trust is the condition for each relationship. The unique condition not replaceable.  

We can say that a community is a place where confidence is like a net that protects all members. Confidence is an attitude that creates an environment and you can experience it by visible actions.

A strong relationship is an authentic one, in which you feel free for saying what you think and ask and give constructive feedback. This constructive feedback is required in wise communities. That’s the reason why such kinds of communities are growing up. 

“People trust me enough to share personal things about them” Beverly Hills, California, United States.

“People listen and provide constructive feedback” San Marcos, California, United States.

From Daily Haloha wall

4th Step

To do something for people

Nobody can escape having some bad times and it is very difficult to forget when we were helped

In those occasions, we feel deep in our heart what community is

In the other direction, to do something for people is one of the fountains of happiness stronger that I know. The mystery is that you receive when you give, and nobody can take off what you have received.

“We come together to help a neighbor” Newtown, Connecticut, United States.

“We all support one another”  Westport, Massachusetts, United States.

From Daily Haloha wall

5th Step

To be part of a community project

When we volunteer for a common cause we can be sure we are part of the community. Working in a community project has multidimensional benefits.

• Our empathy grows up and we can have a social commitment.
• We develop compassionate attitudes
• The community becomes a place where we work together for making it better and better
• Our pride of belonging grows up 
• The commitment to common causes strengthens
• Everybody enjoys being part of meaningful purpose

 “People reach out to me to follow up on things that we previously discussed or proposed to do together”

Richmond, Virginia, United States.

“We complete a project toward a common cause” Georgetown, Maine, United States.

From Daily Haloha wall

6th Step

Community places

Community is a social place, but also a physical one

We love some spaces. In those spaces, we surely lived good moments, and good memories come when we walk over there.

At community places, we join our neighbors, friends, and people with similar interests.

Community places are those in which, even being alone, you feel a community sense of belonging.

At community places, we talk face to face and no machine can replace this.

When a community is strong you have more friends than contacts.

Community places bring the experience, still unexplored, about what is deeply common in all of us.

“I go to the farmers market on Wednesday night” Orange, California, United States.

“I go to church” Washington, District of Columbia, United States. 

From Daily Haloha wall

7th Step 

Togetherness

It is difficult for me to find a better word to express what the community is.

And still more difficult to define it, so I wouldn't try, but I can say that togetherness is something that we don't need to define.

We experienced it, that’s enough.

“Surrounds me a warm feeling of wellness” Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires, Argentina.

“We break bread together” New York, New York, United States.

From Daily Haloha wall

One more time….why I love Daily Haloha

Right now I am writing the last words of this article.

I am alone in my studio, it’s yet evening and curtains are closed, but I am not feeling alone, a strange feeling of community warmly surrounds me. 

I’ve just realized my words are not only mine, they were inspired by your words, Daily Haloha community, and now they are our words.

Suddenly, I understood my “strange” community feeling, and finally, I could put the final dot in the article.

PS: I closed my studio, now I am in the streets going back home, but community feeling surrounds me…

Thanks to each Daily Haloha member for letting me learn every day 

Thanks to Amy Giddon for sharing dreams of building a healthy community