Building Community

One of the things that we have missed most besides friends and family has been Trader Joes. I know it seems rather shallow but Trader Joes has some great quality food at a great value. There seems to be a rumor up here, for several years now, that Trader Joes will open up a store in Southern Oregon. Unfortunately, that has yet to become a reality. Several weeks ago I discovered that Trader Joes is performing a zip code survey in order to find the next location. I am not sure if this is for Oregon alone or all the Trader Joes in the country. But IF the survey is at all stores I would like to ask for your assistance. When you are asked for your zip code at Trader Joes please provide our zip code - 97530. My first recruit was the cashier in the Eugene location. I asked him to use my zip code for all of those customers who do not provide one. This is a grass root effort to encourage Trader Joes to come to Southern Oregon.

How many of us have been warned as kids to NEVER eat yellow snow? Well I am here to tell you that yellow snow is good and rather sweet. That’s right I ate yellow snow. I would have had seconds but it seemed rude to ask for more. I also had homemade snow-ice cream. Apparently when blessed with several inches of snow you can make very tasty treats using pineapple juice, half and half, milk, sugar, and vanilla extract. If interested in the recipe please email me and I will pass on the message to Katie Thompson.

As you all know I am often looking at small town life with big city eyes. Well here is one that I continue to struggle with. It started with a meeting in Jacksonville for citizens planning the vision 20 years out. During the meeting those that were on various committees were asked for their name and number. So one by one each resident called out their name then a four digit number. I was confused for several minutes until I realized that the four digit number was their phone number. No, Jacksonville is not stuck in the 50’s but in fact everyone has the same number as everybody else. I mean the same phone number as everybody else with only the last four digits different. Ok so that is quaint, but seriously try to get around the idea that everybody in town shares the same numbers but four. Its similar to all of us living on the same street but having only a different house number. The idea can easily escape ones brain but its powerful to think that its little things like this that create a community. A common bond often no greater than the simplest of interactions.

This idea of community of late, is difficult to express but even more difficult to develop. I have often thought that the reason Los Angeles has such a tough time creating community is because people lack a single gathering place for special events or perhaps its the constant change in neighbors as people moved about. Or maybe it was the fairly consistent sunshine that allows people to pick any day to do chores or activities as opposed to the weather dictating when you get out.

Well Jacksonville does not have a single place to gather any more than Old Town Pasadena for the Doo Dah Parade - www.pasadenadoodahparade.info It also has few original locals but plenty with a start in another part of our great country (read: California). The weather has certainly shaped when people move about and that does bring out a common bond at times but only after an extended period of cold or wet weather. This is often true in Southern California when a week of rainy weather followed by a gorgeous 75 degree day and blue skies causes people to get out and enjoy the day.

So what creates community? How do you define it? And more importantly how do you maintain it once found? These questions are what I believe are at the heart of this planning vision for Jacksonville. Sure, some want to make more money and others want to preserve the historical elements and size of town but the core of discussion is how to truly balance those desires without losing this special community.

As I sat in a meeting last week I came up with a phrase that helped me define what I feel is community - “frequency of interactions.” Strip away the charms, history, services, and everything else and simply focus on the people and their constant overlapping lives. These unplanned and unrehearsed interactions with people you know begin to create a sense of belonging and perhaps even ownership. This is not church, business meetings, civic clubs or even special events you attend but the natural and fluid crossover into other lives on a daily bases. As an example, I went to Whites Country Farm for my vegetables and was talking with Linda and Mark the owners when I saw my neighbor Tom walking to the front door. So there I stand talking when I mention to Tom that Warren, our other neighbor, suggested I borrow Toms mower in exchange for mowing Tom’s lawn. Tom says, “That’s great!” So we set a date to start. Linda speaks up and asks if Warren is married to Shelia. Indeed he is. Turns out Linda and Mark had dinner at their house on Friday.

This particular example is only a part of community. It requires more interaction and more depth, but it is the start of belonging and participating in others lives. So now take this interaction and multiply it several times and you begin to see that frequent interactions can begin to build more community. When we control our experiences with preplanned activities we isolate ourselves from community. It is truly those with whom we have not made plans with that can create a serendipitous moment. Look that word up - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Serendipity