PILLAR 4 OF 5
Community
The village most of us have to build
on purpose.
Community is the pillar I underestimated for the longest time. I thought I’d built a full life. Husband. Kids. Neighbors I waved at. A couple of old friends I saw a few times a year. I would’ve told you I was in good shape.
Then something hard happened, and I realized the list of people I could actually call at nine at night on a Tuesday was very short. Not because I didn’t know people. Because I hadn’t kept up. I hadn’t built a village. I had a contact list, which is not the same thing.
The Community pillar is about the people who will show up. Family, yes, but also the kinds of friends and neighbors you don’t see every week but who would know you were missing if you didn’t come to the book club or the walking group. Most of us past fifty have to build this on purpose. I’ll write about how I’m doing that, the mistakes I’ve made, and what’s actually worked.
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Latest in Community
articles updated at least weekly
How to Ask for Help Without Feeling Like You’re Losing Your Independence
You know the moment I mean. The phone is in your hand. You know exactly who to call and exactly what you need. It is not even a big thing. A ride. A hand with something heavy. Someone to sit with you at an appointment you do not want to go to alone. And you put the...
How to Build a Support Network Before You Actually Need One
In the last piece I told you that the night I sat down to list the people I could actually call, the list was short. I also told you I have spent the years since making it less short, on purpose. This is the part where I tell you how, because "build a village" is...
Independent Doesn’t Mean Alone. The Most Prepared People I Know Have Strong Support Networks.
We have gotten independence wrong. We treat it like a solo sport. The person who needs no one. Who does it all herself. Who would rather struggle than ask. We hand each other that picture like it is something to be proud of, and then we are surprised when it leaves...
More articles coming.
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Explore the other pillars
Preparedness
Documents, directives, and the information your people need if something happens to you.
Home
A home that works for you now and still works for you in twenty years.
Strength
A body that keeps you independent. Balance, mobility, and the habits that protect both.
Technology
The tools that quietly make independence easier, without taking over your life.