Good evening, and welcome to CSOT. I hope you have survived our Novemblizzards without having to nourish yourself by gnawing off your own frostbitten fingers. Along the Front Range, Winter Storm Ajax the storm was an indisputable bust just about everywhere north of, oh, Hampden Ave. And yet, things got a bit interesting for people living or driving anywhere along the Palmer Divide, so it wasn’t a joke for them.
Which brings us to the topic: how do we truly keep in mind those of us who are distant, yet united by virtue of state residence, in addition to progressive cultural and political values? And how do we bridge those distances to build community when this here site is the only interaction that many of us are likely to experience?
You may know my take on this by now, but if not, well… my hope is that we look for and create opportunities to physically bridge those distances whenever possible. Community building takes time and requires personal investment. Getting together isn’t easy; many of us are financially strapped, others are physically debilitated, and still others are fine in those respects but have CHILDREN. I have personally witnessed the debilitating toll that raising a family can and does take on one’s ability to do what one wishes, whenever one wants. It’s TRAGIC. There must be something rewarding about it...
Seriously, though, scheduling is one of those perpetual issues of adulting. “Am I making the best use of my time?” “Should I commit to this weekend event, or leave time open in case of this OTHER potential event?” “Oh crap, I completely forgot about ____.” Throw in PRESIDENTIAL CAMPAIGN SEASON, and many of us are looking for our space in which to do dishes and laundry, or—for us introverts—at least 30 minutes free from ANYONE ELSE.
Anyway, this is why I’ve committed to hosting a coffee-based get-together in Denver every third Saturday morning, barring my own travel or legit crisis. It conflicts with several HD meetings, so there are some people I’ll probably never see there, but such is life. It would conflict with something regardless of which Saturday morning I chose. But it’s a reliable opportunity for YOU to come visit, if you feel like it. Just take your pen and write “DK Coffee 9-12” on every third Saturday in your calendar, right now. Since there are only two remaining, that’ll take just a few seconds. And if you’re the sort of person who has already purchased a calendar for 16, lemme just say, I’d like to be more like you.
And even though DK attendance far lags that of my own lib friends invited via Facebook, that’s no reason for me to stop, because building community takes time, and personal investment. I have no idea how to assess the desire for others in the metro area to use this site as a community building focus, but the idea is to provide the option in case that need emerges, and in addition, promoting the site as an activist organizing tool. Having coffee on Saturday morning is enjoyable regardless, yet it’ll be more enjoyable when I get to see you there, helping me build community.
OK, you say; that’s about enough subtle poking about my own event. What about everyone not in Denver, for whom it’s impractical? Two things: create your own regularly occurring events for your own community members, promoting those events here; and participate in Connect! Unite! Act! whenever you can. These posts publish after 830am MST and are dedicated to community building in every state; if you have your own event, Kosmail your event post to navajo and she’ll add it to the next C!U!A! post.
And while I’m sure you do this already, it bears mentioning: when you are reading through comments, keep your eyes open for your neighbors, and extend invites. This is a big state; we are thankfully spread all across it, and most of us will not likely meet, but if we keep tabs on what we’re all doing, when we have those opportunities, we can take them.
Are you thinking of a way to build community in your part of Colorado? Tell us!