Today I’m over at (in)courage, talking about community and friendships—specifically, those found online. We need people, and while “real life” friends are essential, friends online can be surprisingly meaningful, too. From the post:

“Community online doesn’t replace community in ‘real’ life. But it can enrich your life, both in breadth and in depth. While you love on your kids at home, a few clicks of the mouse can bring you encouragement from another mom, across the world, right in the trenches with you, too. And sometimes, the Internet also introduces you to friends—real friends, friends you’d otherwise never meet.”

Head here to read the rest of the post.

I jumped into life here when we moved to Oregon two months ago. No stranger to moving, I knew the drill of setting up a new home: bring toilet paper and trash bags, because you won’t find them when you’ve got nothing but packed boxes. Let the kids draw on said boxes as a way to pass time until their toys reveal themselves. Go easy on the menu plan for the first month, because you won’t yet know the right grocery store or the best place to store your spices.

And also, jump into community as quickly as possible.

That last one is true for me, anyway. As an extroverted introvert, I need people almost as much as I need alone time. People are what make a place feel real to me, more like home. When I reminisce over my former residences, it’s the people that first delight my consciousness, not the restaurants. So I know it’s true for any of my new locales as well: I need to find my peeps.

There’s something beautiful and reassuring and restful about friends who know you well. They’ve been there for years, or they just get a side of you more than the usual crowd. Perhaps you have a shared history, or maybe you relish in the same passion.
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Reader Melissa asked a great question recently. I’ve thought about it, too, and think I have an opinion, but I’d love to hear what you all think:

“I want to be generous to those who are less fortunate than me. I really do. I feel that we have a responsibility to care for them. There are lots of web sites out there that point to free or cheap deals (with coupons) at various stores. It’s frequently recommended that you stockpile what your family needs, then give the rest away to those who need it.

“My problem is that, now that I know how many bad things are in most prepackaged products (food and toiletries), I have a REALLY hard time donating things that I don’t consider to be good enough for my own family. I know that ‘beggars can’t be choosers,’ but am I really helping someone by giving them something that has harmful chemicals in it?

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