The Ordinary Impact

I saw a shirt in a local coffee shop that said #BetterTogether across the back. And I believe that. I really do. Unity. Community. Togetherness. These are all better than isolation, division, or just going it alone. But, full disclosure, my circle is small. Not because I don’t care about people, but because trust is hard sometimes . I believe in community, but I don’t always fully embrace it. There are moments I hold back. Because being #BetterT ogether sounds nice… Until someone challenges our opinion, our politics, our preferences, or even our parenting. Then, suddenly, it’s #BetterApart, or #BetterQuiet , or #BetterGone . Because togetherness isn’t just about gathering. It’s about growing. And that requires humility. It means admitting we don’t have it all figured out. It means being open to change, not just in others, but in ourselves. And that’s a lot harder than wearing a shirt with a hashtag on the back. Too many times, we default to living more like #BetterIfYo...

We live in a world that celebrates the big, the bold, the sensational.  The viral post. The once-in-a-lifetime achievement. The headline-worthy moment that grabs attention and holds it — for a little while.  And while those moments have their place, they’re not the ones most of us live in. Most of life is made up of smaller things.  The ordinary, everyday moments that rarely get a spotlight but somehow leave the deepest mark. A quiet check-in from a friend. A hard conversation handled with grace. A kid who finally takes a risk because you believed in them, again and again. These aren't the kinds of things people line up to applaud  —  but they're the moments that shape us. The ones that build trust, character, and connection over time. That will be the focus of my blog posts. I'm not trying to chase the splashy moments, but I want to honor the steady ones. The ones that often go unnoticed, but never go unfelt. The Ordinary Impact is a space for reflection — for those...

The idea of community intrigues me. We long to be individuals who are unique and independent, but in the long-term all of that feels empty. We all are drawn back to a community of people with whom we desire to share our stories. It's as if our memories didn't happen unless we share them. Social media has become irreplaceable and addictive today because it meets a need in all of us for community. I hear the naysayers (like myself) already: "Social media is not really community. Community is face-to-face connection, which what a generation of young people are missing." However, at it's very best, we use to to connect and stay in contact with a community of people. Essentially, we are able to shrink the world and use social media to be more inclusive and embracing of a community of people that we cannot regularly connect with face-to-face. We need community. We are drawn to it because we are wired for it. Family. Friends. Connection. Communication. Community. ...