On Friday evening, I pulled into the parking lot of Washburn Imports for First Fridays at Lake Ivanhoe. I was there early to support my friend Claudia and her husband Greg who were launching their travel consulting company GW Nunn Adventures during the event. I met Claudia when I showed up in Winter Park in 1981 to start high school. Claudia had grown up here so she had a strong community. One friend she introduced me to then was John Washburn -- the cool kid with the feathered hair who played in the high school band, "The End." Now he's the gray-haired, square-rimmed glasses cool guy who owns Washburn Imports, a furniture import store with a wine bar on Orange Ave. The Imperial Bar at Washburn's was a perfect place to hand out brochures and show photos from their tours to South East Asia. Because I'm writing tag lines and web copy and planning Egypt tours for GW Nunn, I headed toward's John's shop.
My friend from old SAK days, Stacy was in College Park waiting on her daughter so she decided to meet me for a glass of wine. Stacy is married to Todd whose sister was a roommate of mine at Rollins College. As I got out of the car a jogger stopped me. It was Paul, my friend Teresa's husband. They live in college park. We chatted then on I went for wine and time with Stacy, with Claudia, with Greg, with John. Bob Morris and his wife were at the bar and I asked about his last book. After Stacy left, Phran and Don dropped in to support me supporting GW Nunn. I know Phran from SAK, which was my first job out of college. Phran and Don are collectors and interior designers so they'd visited John's shop many times and enjoyed a lovely reunion with him. Other members of Greg's community and Claudia's community stopped by too. Some I knew, some I just met.
On my way home I thought I'd stop and pick up a box of duraflame and a bottle of red wine for a cold night. In the college park Publix I heard someone call my name. It was Jan Richardson, the wife of Garrison Doles. I know him from Theatre Downtown and various arts groups in Orlando. Jan is a spiritual leader and an artist and I was thrilled to see her. I haven't seen her since her marriage began and my marriage ended. We shared some good time, in which I asked about her community, and asked if I could invite her into another of my communities, the yearly creativity conference I serve which will be held this year at her church. She ran out to her car and came back with a copy of her newest book 'In the Sanctuary of Women, a companion for reflection and prayer.' Which I am now enjoying, curled up with a hot cocoa in front of the fireplace at Morgan and Dave's old house that I now rent.
Because my life's story began without community I think I am not good at it. I am misinformed. I don't know these people because I've lived in Winter Park since 1981. I have a community because I have chosen well my friends. They are people who call out your name in the grocery store, who stop jogging to greet you, who invite you to launch your business at their shop, who greet your friends as if they are their friends. I may feel the work of community in a different way than the John's, Todd's and Claudia's who've grown up in the same place and moved in and out of their community since they were children. But I do experience it in the micro as well as the macro now. And I'm so very grateful to know that it takes choice and practice to maintain that community.
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