We were born to unite with our fellow men, and to join in community with the human race. (Cicero)

Andy and I checked out a neighborhood today that, I think, has completely changed our conceptualization of how we wish to live. Rather, it was sort of like we had this vague idea of what we wanted and happened upon an area today that felt like an epiphanic ah ha moment, complete with big smiles and a happy sigh.

Arcadia is a co-housing community not too far from where my parents live. It's been around for a while and has this amazing, settled, lived-in feel you don't often find in this area. It is quirky and artistic and beautiful and so beautifully planned and well laid out.

Sort of like this lovely combination of a European-style village coupled with a very traditional sense of community living, with a little bit of independent and creative vision thrown into the mix to create an atmosphere unique and dotted with little gems. Very, very cool.

Add into that an eco-conscious and earth-friendly design, true adherence to green building standards and philosophy, and a sense of collective responsibility and action... and you get this lovely little neighborhood with a walking path and no thru-ways for cars that seemed to help gel in our minds something we knew we were looking for but couldn't quite articulate.

Natural Power

Tropical Storm Fay is on its way to Florida, having already hit the Florida Keys. At least 4 people in the Dominican Republic and 50 in Haiti have been killed, with many more injured and thousands left homeless.

Very bad weather is expected in Florida tomorrow, and it sounds as if the storm may reach hurricane proportions.

It is never easy when potential tragedy starts knocking on your own front door... and with each new natural disaster, I am acutely aware of all the people I know who live in, come from, or still have connections to some particular area of the country.

I believe that sense of community - the one that spans beyond the borders of our own town, city, or state - is very important. It is contained within and is integral to the beginnings of compassion, and such compassion can lead to advocacy on a spiritual and practical level.

Such a sense of connection can also exist on a global level. Embracing community across countries and continents helps to foster both a sense of humility and grandiosity (both in a good sense).

We may realize how small we are... how our lives are but one tiny thread within a rich and intricate tapestry of life across infinite spans of time and space. At the same time, becoming conscious of the interconnectedness of all others with whom we are sharing each moment can expand our sense of self with regard to the mysterious and hotly debated ethereal, potentially divine energy through which we are all common and all joined. That piece of us that mimics all human beings, all things living and alive, allows us to be larger than the "I" of individual experience.

Humble and grand we have the power to remember our greater community and do what we can to aid in the suffering or distress of others. Tiny giants... whose smallest actions can change lives. Remember how powerful you are.