5 Ways to Love Your Community

Happy Valentine’s Day! I wanted to think outside the box about how to show love to different people in my life. As funny as it sounds to say, since everyone is so negative right now on social media and being so overindulgent in their posts, it’s pretty easy to stand out in a positive way to your friends and family. Everyone is craving love, positivity and kindness. Let’s be that for other people this week! I’m challenging you to think about your community this week. Who do you come in contact with on a daily or weekly basis and how can you affect positive change?

As I start to think about who my community is, I think of my neighbors, the people I see each day at Pure Barre or the gym, I think about my cashier at the grocery store, my co-workers, my church family,, and even the people around me in my city as I drive to and from home. As you start to think about your community, who comes to mind? How can you help show them love? I’m sharing 5 ways to love your community below and I’d love to have you add onto this list.

This could also be a really cool way to bless someone you know together as a couple or as a family if you do some of these things during Valentine’s week. As Leyton gets older, I’m excited to involve him in actions like this for those we know.

5 Ways to Love Your Community:

1. Co-workers: Show your co-workers some love by bringing in a case of La Croix for the break room, donuts if that’s your jam, or even some home-made Paleo Hazelnut cookies or Paleo Chocolate Chip Muffins.
2. Friends: Drop off a goody like mentioned above in a friend’s mailbox or on their porch so they have a surprise when they get home. Make a list of your friends and write each of their names on your calendar each day. When you get to that person’s day, let it serve as a reminder to shoot them a text and ask how you can pray for them that day or how they’re doing. Little things like this make a difference in someone’s day!
3. Newbies at the Gym: Do you see someone timidly walking into class looking confused about what equipment to grab or talking to the instructor about their first time? Walk over and introduce yourself, show a smile, or a friendly wave and invite them to take class next to you. It can be so overwhelming for someone to step foot in a barre studio or fitness class for the first time. If you do one of these simple friendly gestures, it immediately helps them feel more at ease. And who knows, you may even meet a new friend!
4. Drivers on the Road: Show your community some love by putting down your phone when you are driving. I always try to hop on a phone call via Bluetooth or listen to a podcast while I’m driving to keep my mind occupied. Otherwise, I find myself tempted to text, snapchat or other things that I KNOW I should not be doing. You can see the full post I wrote about texting and driving earlier this week here.
5. Neighbors: If you know a stressed mom or an elderly couple in your neighborhood, send them a simple text message or Facebook message (or even drop by to ask if they could use the company) to ask if they need you to pick up anything for them on the way home from the grocery store. You can also reach out to someone if you know they can use help due to illness or new baby or home renovations during the week and tell them you are making XYZ recipe this week that makes a ton of food and ask if you can bring them some. We are also incredibly blessed to live next door to neighbors who swap childcare with us once a month so we can each get out and have a date night without having to hire a sitter. This would be an amazing service you could offer a couple in your neighborhood. I actually had a surprise waiting for Leyton this morning from our sweet neighbors at our doorstep! You can see it in the picture above. Such a thoughtful gesture from our sweet neighbors!

It really is the little things that add up to be big things! Unfortunately, we are all so connected on our phones sometimes we forget to look up and smile or wave or speak to a passerby. People want human connection, people want love, and people need you. Don’t ever forget how much of an impact you can have on someone’s life with the talents and smile that God has gifted you with. Let’s go love our community hard this week, shall we?

If you decide to try out these ways to love your community or come up with your own idea, make sure to show me on Snapchat or Instagram, I’d love to see! Let’s spread the love!!