It Takes a Village

It takes a village to raise a child.  ~African Proverb

I don’t know of anyone who hasn’t heard this quote before. I would amend it and say the same goes for adults.

The village many of us had as children should become more important to us as adults. Why? Our circles expand.  We attend school. Many of us relocate to new cities. We start our careers and work with internal teams, clients, and/or vendors. Our neighborhoods aren’t only those that live near us but grocery stores, coffee shops, restaurants, and newsstands. We may attend churches to worship, business organizations to grow professionally. I can go on.

So why do so many adults try to go through life alone? Do we think we are superheroes with superpowers? With each new responsibility, life gets a little harder. We need someone to support us, guide us, coach us, love us, hold our hand, and more importantly, talk us off the invisible ledge we may find ourselves on from time to time.

I’ve been known to try to “go it alone.” It never works. I NEED my village. I need those people in the circles in my life. Without them, some of my past mistakes would have been too difficult to overcome.

The best thing about acknowledging the community I currently have is seeing where I need to increase my village. I also need to be a part of the village of others.

What about you?