Tuesday's Tip: Fostering a Sense of Community

Handwriting is a dying art.  The importance of penmanship is being replaced with typing skills in schools.  My son's baseball coach, a grandfather of another boy on the team, said he would be sending out team updates via text.  In the current digital age we have replaced thoughtful, personal contact via letter and even telephone in favor of the instant gratification of technology and its many forms.  I even use a web-based program that has apps on our smart phones for the family calendar.  It allows my husband and I to update our calendar instantly and to check for family availability without checking with each other first.  It has eliminated the need to actually talk to each other.  While my husband and I do make it a point to talk to one another, our world is decidedly turning away from personal means of communication in favor of (although faster) less personal technology. 
The result of this trend is a well-informed but disconnected population.  With that move we often lose the sense of community that comes when we make personal connections with the people around us.  But we have the opportunity to fight this and strive for the sense of community we all felt growing up.  The next time you find yourself in charge of an event or a group, take the time to call each person individually.  Pick up the phone and call your friend instead of sending them an email or a text.  Even better, grab some fabulous stationery, dust off your address book and send a "thinking of you" note.  I promise it will give the recipient (and you, too) a warm and fuzzy feeling, fostering a sense of community.