Lately, I’ve been thinking about the word “communities” and the important role they play in our lives. A "community" is a place where like-minded people come together, but the plural "communities" are different in nature. They can support many of our needs to be active and informed, help us find comfort and advice, or simply be a safe place to fall.

In the current world climate having many communities to lean on is critical for good physical and mental health.

Think about it. When you’re sad, scared or lonely where do you turn? When you’re looking to network with others where do you go? When illness strikes who do you turn to for support and guidance? When you feel helpless or angry who listens to your outcry?

Communities filled with empathetic people are a critical resource.

I remember thinking about communities in a new way when the junior United States Senator Barack Obama announced his presidential candidacy in early 2007. I read about the work he did in the early 1980’s as a community organizer in the poorer neighborhoods of the South Side of Chicago. I never thought much about community organizers and was curious to learn more.

What I learned was that being a community organizer provides someone with a feeling of commitment and purpose while helping those in need. 

In a New York Times article “Obama’s Organizing Years, Guiding Others and Finding Himself” (July 7, 2008) we learn that Obama worked tirelessly to help a multicultural, lower income neighborhood wrestle with tough issues like asbestos removal, public safety, and employment. He faced many obstacles and wasn’t always successful in finding resolutions, but in the end he formed a lifelong commitment to a community he loves.

I grew up in a tight-knit community where neighbors helped neighbors. Children played outside until dark, and parents kept their doors unlocked in case a child was thirsty, needed a bathroom, or had a problem.

Today we live in a world that clearly needs stronger communities, but I see them crumbling all around us. We’re being pitted one against the other in ways I never imagined.

It’s a challenging time to be alive.

But I’m an optimist who still believes there are more good people in the world than bad, more kindness than evil and more hope than despair.

There are naysayers, of course. But I see communities of people spring into action when a hurricane hits and people and animals are in need. Government resources are stretched, so communities pitch in to help in countless ways.

I hold on to thoughts of hope to help me survive. They inspire me to rise above the anger that's been distorting my view of what I want for the world and for myself. Given the choice of tossing platitudes to the wind or clinging to them, I’ll always choose the latter.

Anxiety and frustration are so palpable these days that so many of us begin to suffer physical and emotional stress. That’s when I look to my mentors, the people who inspire and encourage me by who they are and what they do.

A great example of a mentor who created a community of inclusion and understanding was Fred Rogers of educational television fame. Rogers was a larger-than-life mentor who is featured in a new documentary on his life called “Won’t You Be My Neighbor?”

I’ve always admired the goodness and compassion of Mr. Rogers and find comfort in one particular memory he shared years ago :

“My mother would say to me, ‘Look for the helpers. You will always find people who are helping.’ To this day, especially in times of disaster, I remember my mother’s words, and I am always comforted by realizing that there are still so many helpers — so many caring people in this world.”

I have many other mentors, but that’s not what this piece is about. It’s about communities and the need to create your own to help you live a balanced, joyful, informed and peaceful life.

Here are some of the communities I look to for strength, hope, and joy. They are varied and unique to my needs:

• Family, friends, and acquaintances  
• Mentors both alive and gone. Many are writers, poets, artists, world leaders and spiritual leaders
• My fellow health advocacy community
• The Multiple Sclerosis and chronic illness community
• My gut health community
• The healthcare community of doctors, nurses, therapists and researchers
• Communities of women that include empowerment groups, writing groups, book groups and charity groups
• The spirituality community
• Communities that bring about positive change in the world that include (I couldn't possibly list them all!):
• RAICES (Refugee and Immigrant Center for Education and Legal Services), NAACP, Best Friends Animal Society, Pet Smart Adopt Spot, Guide Dog Foundation for the Blind, Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, Children’s Defense Fund, ACLU, Goodwill, National Wildlife Federation, Environmental Defense Fund, American Red Cross, Clinton Foundation, JDRF International, Habitat for Humanity, Human Rights Watch, City Harvest, UNICEF, Doctors Without Borders, Hadassah, Jewish National Fund, Mental Health Alliance, National Multiple Sclerosis Society, Multiple Sclerosis Trust, Accelerated Cure Project, Planned Parenthood, International Foundation for Functional Gastrointestinal Disorders, Compassion & Choices, Bob Woodruff Family Foundation, and Wounded Warrior Project
• Classic film and book lovers groups
• Communities who love and protect all animal species
• Arts and culture groups

What communities do you rely on? Who listens to your thoughts and ideas? Who inspires you? Where do you turn for the information you need or the empowerment you seek? Who keeps you sane, balanced or joyful? Who comforts you when you're feeling depressed or anxious? I'd love to hear about it!