{"id":1919,"date":"2025-02-17T00:30:20","date_gmt":"2025-02-17T04:30:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/amoderndayshair\/?p=1919"},"modified":"2025-02-16T00:52:28","modified_gmt":"2025-02-16T04:52:28","slug":"on-the-importance-of-community","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/amoderndayshair\/2025\/02\/on-the-importance-of-community\/","title":{"rendered":"On the Importance of Community"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<\/head>

It\u2019s been a long time since I last wrote here, and I finally realized why. Writing is an isolating job, just as it should be for me, but it doesn\u2019t mean the whole experience must be. I was struggling so much because I felt I was not part of a community, that I didn\u2019t belong.<\/p>\n

\"\"
\u201cif there\u2019s not a community, if there\u2019s not someone who cares about it, then it takes a toll on the motivation.\u201d Photo by Jessica Lewis \ufffd thepaintedsquare<\/em><\/a>.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Why do we Even Write?<\/h1>\n

Writing is by far my most stable spiritual practice<\/em><\/a>, and I have no plans of altering that. However, there has been something missing in it while writing as Bader (if you didn\u2019t know, Bader is my nom-de-plume<\/em><\/a>). I felt so alone that there was little to no meaning to my writing.<\/p>\n

Yes, we writers write for ourselves and about the things we care about the most, but if there\u2019s not a community, if there\u2019s not someone who cares about it, then it takes a toll on the motivation. The reason is that there\u2019s a lot of unpacking and emotional work while writing. You are putting yourself\u00a0out there<\/em>, and it\u2019s scary. I can\u2019t share anything about my writing until it\u2019s ready because then it doesn\u2019t feel right to keep working on it anymore. It doesn\u2019t feel unfished<\/em>, but the opposite.<\/p>\n

All of this is\u00a0exhausting<\/em>. I\u2019m sure many will know what I\u2019m talking about.<\/p>\n

\"\"
\u201cIt can always be better, can\u2019t it? It. Does. Not. Matter.\u201dPhoto by Pixabay<\/em><\/a>.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

A Practice and a Responsibility<\/h1>\n

However, I also realized something. If writing is a devotional practice for me, then it is also my responsibility to do it more often (Go ahead, you can say it. No sh*t, Sherlock<\/em>). Writing gives me community as well. It is also my instant altar to the divine, it\u2019s one of the activities I can do that takes me instantly closer to it, to my ancestors, my guides, and any other spirit or entity I decide to work with.<\/p>\n

As such, I\u2019ve been thinking about all my issues, problems, and insecurities as Bader. Another one is that I am an insufferable perfectionist, and I want to do the best I can before sharing it. Because it can always be better, can\u2019t it? You can always tweak this a bit more, maybe there\u2019s a comma or a semi-colon that should or shouldn\u2019t be there. Maybe there\u2019s a detail you overlooked.<\/p>\n

It. Does. Not. Matter.<\/p>\n

\"\"
\u201cI didn\u2019t want to end this entry without saying thanks to all of you. I mean it.\u201d Photo by Pixabay<\/em><\/a>.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

It\u2019s Showing<\/h1>\n

I have to repeat that to myself over and over again. I need to remember that I am not some AI that can polish eternally (not to mention, that the quality of the results is\u2026 questionable\u2026 at best). Goes without saying that I try not to aim at perfection, but honesty. That\u2019s exactly what I want to do here. I want to be crystal clear about all those manias and ticks and things that would drive anyone crazy, but that seem to drive me in the right direction of sorts. Do they? I want to believe so.<\/p>\n

From now on, I\u2019m trying to focus on that. Focus on the communities I\u2019m already part of. There are two groups that I\u2019m thankful for because they have kept me interested, and engaged, even if I disappear from the internet for long periods. I am meeting so many wonderful people that I feel the need to do this again, and again, and again. I didn\u2019t feel this motivated since I started this blog, and it\u2019s showing already. Just today, as I write this, I\u2019ve finished two other pieces of writing that have been waiting for weeks.<\/p>\n

I\u2019m already taking some measures to ensure I stay like this for longer so I can be more disciplined, but I didn\u2019t want to end this entry without saying thanks to all of you. I mean it. There is always something missing, there\u2019s always something that I need, and I get it when I read the comments, or see the likes. When I know I\u2019m not alone, that I\u2019m part of a community, it feels like it is worth the work, the exhaustion, and the vulnerability.<\/p>\n

So thank you for keeping me grounded.<\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

It\u2019s been a long time since I last wrote here, and I finally realized why. Writing is an isolating job, just as it should be for me, but it doesn\u2019t mean the whole experience must be. I was struggling so much because I felt I was not part of a community, that I didn\u2019t belong. […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4425,"featured_media":1931,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[101,183],"tags":[104,51,98,71,142],"class_list":["post-1919","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-practice","category-writing","tag-devotion","tag-healing","tag-meditation","tag-reading","tag-writing"],"yoast_head":"\nOn the Importance of Community<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"It's been a long time since I last wrote here, and I finally realized why. 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