Aspens exemplify community

Poplars are wonderful trees. They offer qualities that instruct us to look beyond beauty, to look within and below to discover greater meaning. Did you ever think that a tree could tell a story? Poplars do; they tell a story of what it takes to be a thriving and supportive community.

Have you ever come across or seen a single Aspen tree, alone, with no others nearby? If you’re familiar with Aspens, you know that this rarely happens.

By their nature, aspens are not a solitary tree. Their roots extend below the surface of the earth and facilitate the growth of others to form a group. Poplars grow as a community; they are unified by their roots and share nutrients and resources to support each other. The community is encouraged through a strong bond base.

If you look at the root structure of Aspen, you will notice that they are survivors. The roots of an aspen tree can lie dormant for years. At the right moment, they spring to life and regenerate as a community. Poplars have strength and endurance, invisible to many.

Aspen groves thrive on diversity. They are strongest when there is a mixture of young and old. The diverse mix protects against disease and natural disasters, providing a greater guarantee that the community survives during the most difficult times.

Aspen trees have restorative qualities that reach far beyond their close community to the natural world around them. Animals feed in the winter months on the trunk of an aspen tree, and pains can be relieved thanks to its aspirin-like medicinal value. Even humans can protect themselves from the sun or soothe a cut or burn by rubbing the bark of an aspen tree on their skin.

The aspens tell us an important story, if we choose to listen. They share with us lessons of connection, survival, and outreach to serve as a guide for our communities.

What story do our communities tell?

From today’s world arises a new humanity of being electronically connected. There are many benefits to be gained from these new roots of bringing people together. Connections through Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn are easily multiplied with short bursts of challenging, reassuring, and even inspiring words written and distributed throughout the networked maze. New people outside of our typical span engage in offering new insights through tenuous relationships.

While the online community may be thriving, the face-to-face community is weakening. Our communities tend to be more isolated and loosely rooted.

With all the popularity centered around social media and its limitless reach through the Internet, how much do we know about our neighbor a few doors away? Do we even know their names? How do we support each other within our neighborhood block?

Our community relations have become superficial or non-existent, and only impersonal facts about our neighbors are known. It is a “recognized” relationship. There is little depth in our knowledge about them. Their joys and concerns remain within their four walls or are expressed through electronic relationships that extend beyond their immediate environment.

Just as Aspen tree communities can lie dormant below the surface for many years and then spring to life at the right time, are we ready to engage with the people in our neighborhood and activate our communities?

What can we learn from an Aspen community?

Aspens provide solid guidance on how to build personal relationships and build a strong community. Through connection, survival, and outreach, our communities can come alive with supportive relationships, prompting our society to be bestmake plus.

Connection. Aspens intertwine below the surface, creating a foundation for growth and life. The connected roots are what sustain the beautiful life on the surface.

Within our cities and neighborhoods, our connections must be strengthened. We go through the motions of everyday life, and time quickly slips away. Instead of building relationships within a 5-mile radius, we log in and connect with people in other states and countries. As a result, our base weakens; neighborhoods become lonely places. This is in stark contrast to our ancestors who created rich and vibrant communities fueled by daily social interaction with their neighbors.

A vibrant neighborhood should emulate the beauty of an aspen forest. Healthy communities have healthy relationships. They should be like entering Healthwhere “everyone knows your name”.

survival. Just as a diverse mix of Aspen trees withstand the ups and downs of existence; our communities need to be built the same way. Diversity builds not only strength, but also understanding.

Often, we move to make sure our kids are in schools run by people who are similar to us, or we want to find the neighborhood that is all the right ages for our kids to play. Some aspects of this are good, but sometimes these targets can go too far and end up doing more harm than good.

We need to accept the differences in our communities. Spending time with the elderly can provide insight into our own lives, foster a sense of generational continuity, and bring warmth to our interactions. Spending time with the younger generation will reintroduce us to vigor and inspire us to step out of our comfort zones.

Beat. Another important element for our communities is outreach. This can be accomplished by helping others who may have been hit hard by current economic waves or weather-induced disasters or simply need a listening ear to listen and provide comfort. Offering a helping hand to other communities is critical to thinking beyond our immediate walls and engaging with our larger community.

A strong community reaches out beyond its borders and offers assistance and sustenance to other communities to overcome difficult times. Essentially, it is giving what we can, spreading healing balm on wounded communities or providing protection to those who may be threatened.

Reach facilitates the spirit of leading meaningful lives. Actions that empower and energize others will long be remembered as what really made a difference.

Giving example. People should strive to represent the best of what communities can be. Instead of Aspen trees setting the example, we should. The beauty of this kind of human community will dwarf what an aspen grove can produce.

Deeper, more supportive relationships within our neighborhoods will enable us to lead richer lives and more easily reach out to others a mile down the road or to the next state or country. The common thread will be a well-grounded root system that connects and supports us. In other words, the strength of our immediate community will allow us to extend our helping hand further afield.

The decisions we make about how we connect with our community will drive how our society continues to develop. Will we be more insular or more inclusive? Will we be more self-centered or more people-centered? Can we balance our growing interest in social media with an active sense of community and compassion for our close neighbors?

So the next time you see a neighbor, stop, talk and listen. Go beyond superficial questions. Ask them what is going on in their work, their family, their life. Make a connection. Develop roots.

Just as a community of Aspen trees can regenerate after being dormant for many years, with enough firm commitment, the roots of our community can rejuvenate, connect, and thrive once again.