We all need the support of others. Much of what we do is based on support or lack of support. Although we need a strong sense of inner direction we also need input from outside ourselves. Many opportunities are to be found in our larger community. Yet if we are tossed among too many unfamiliar people we maybe become overwhelmed. We need to find a balance in which we move out to communicate with others then return to the familiarity of home. 




1 - We all need places and ways to move about and get acquainted 
with new folks. It may be networking through organizations and 
other activities. Volunteering in our community can open new 
horizons. Book stores small shops can be another source of new
information.  Some of us have found that online forums are a great
way to meet people with similar interests. Whatever it may be we 
need to find ways to open our horizons and meet new people.



2 - In our society we tend to think of supportive resources being
far from our home.  Take some time to look at possibilities right
in your own neighborhood.  Are there places within walking distance
from your home where you might find interesting people? Perhaps
there is a shop where you like to go to, a nature spot where others
go as well or a friend and neighbor whom you enjoy visiting.  Even if
it seems like there isn't much, take a careful look at your surroundings, 
perhaps a neighbor a couple of blocks away has a lovely garden. 
You may also want to find a place where you can sit and observe your 
surroundings, perhaps even greet your neighbors with a wave or some 
conversation.  We need to feel at home in our immediate neighborhood. 



3 - Vacations revive us in part because we look at everything in fresh 
way.  We need to  try doing this in our own community a well.  One of the 
reasons we feel we have no place to take a  walk is because we see the 
routes as the same old stuff.  How can we either change the route or see 
the route in a new way? The same is true with organizations and other
ways we might be involved. Sometimes we really do need a change in 
these activities, but sometimes we have just missed the opportunities that 
have been before our eyes all along.  Take time to really notice the people 
around you. Show the interest needed to get to know them a bit better.  
They may have talents and ideas that you would never have expected. 



4 - It is not just the people around you that can give you information and 
support. The natural life around you is also a wonderful resource.  The 
earth supports our very existence. What can we give back to nature?  
Are there ways you can clean up your immediate environment and make 
it more beautiful?Even if all you can do is put a pot of flowers on your 
porch or in you window you have added a little something that is natural 
You may feel there is little or no wild life near your home but even in the 
city the city there are birds and sometimes squirrels to observe.  Notice 
and appreciate them.  Every sort of life supports us as we support them.


Support is a matter of moving out and inviting in. Our home becomes 
our quiet haven where we absorb what has been given us by others as 
well as a place to bring people in to our lives.  Home is also the base
from which we give support to others. How can you enhance this 
circle of giving in your home and in your neighborhood?

Home As Our Haven