Community: Let’s Get Creative

Civility is defined as courtesy, politeness; a polite act or expression. A few observations about civility:

1. The world works better with more civility.
2. Civility is something each of us can choose.
3. We can choose civility at any moment each day.

We have been focusing on how to build your own community that is vibrant, meaningful and satisfying.  First, someone must be intentional.  Community rarely arises on its own.  Second, rituals sustain community by  easefully ushering participants into the right mood, thought and behavioral pattern.  Now, we are focusing on the importance of creativity.

Communities require change in order to thrive.  If things are too predictable people get bored and less committed.  How can I get 13 children and grandchildren to want to get together every Sunday night when competing with sporting events, church meetings, boy and girlfriends and homework?  That was a tough problem to solve.

Then the lightbulb went off!  Everyone likes to eat.  I will make meals that are creative, different and delicious.  And we did!  Movie nights often get named for whatever is being served.  We have had Fried Chicken Movie Night, Lasagna Movie Night, Mexican Movie Night, Smoked Beef Tenderloin Movie Night…the list goes on and on.  But the change isn’t enough.  Linda (my amazing wife) and I strive to make the food as special as possible.  Lasagna movie night isn’t frozen lasagna or even packaged noodles.  It is noodles made from scratch, ragout that takes half a day to cook and homemade béchamel.  When we made Lamb Rogan Rosh we had some ingredients imported from India.

The test of our creativity comes at the end of the meal with I ask the kids how much they would pay for it.  At Chicken Enchilada Movie Night our youngest grandson asked how much a restaurant would charge.  Someone said $15.  He shouted, “I would pay $30.”

It takes a lot of work to pull this off.  Sometimes we cook all day or even start the day before.  But when I see clean plates and family raving about the food, I have the satisfaction that I have fed my community in multiple ways.

What are you willing to do to infuse creativity into your community?  It doesn’t have to be grand.  The effort will be thinking it through, changing it up and keeping it going.  Send me your ideas.