Letter: Building community

Happy Holidays!
How to build community:
Turn off your TV. Leave your house. Know your neighbors. Greet people. Look up when you’re walking. Sit on your stoop. Plant flowers. Use your library. Play together. Buy from local merchants. Share what you have. Help a lost dog. Take children to the park. Honor elders. Support neighborhood schools. Fix it even if you didn’t break it. Have potlucks. Garden together. Pick up litter. Read stories aloud. Dance in the street. Talk to the mail carrier. Listen to the birds. Put up a swing. Help carry something heavy. Barter for your goods. Start a tradition. Ask a question. Hire young people for odd jobs. Organize a block party. Bake extra and share. Ask for help when you need it. Open your shades. Sing together. Share your skills. Take back the night. Turn up the music. Turn down the music. Listen before you react to anger. Mediate a conflict. Seek to understand. Learn from new and uncomfortable angles. Know that no one is silent though many are not heard. Work to change this.
Peace and smiles from up the river.
Bobby and Angie Castaldo
Rio Blanco County