Joy And Curiosity

Glimmers in action

Some time ago, I shared a story about Sidewalk Joy, a series of tiny libraries started by an artist in Portland Oregon. The tiny library concept grew and expanded worldwide, each one unique to its creator, including pottery, books, toys, miniatures, tiny windows looking into doll houses. Everything you could imagine and more.

I came across a new one recently and wanted to share it because the messages inside offer a much-needed antidote to our current reality. The Little Free Pep Talk library is nestled into an ivy hedge in Seattle, Washington. Inside there are two containers. One has blank cards and a pen; the other has handwritten messages designed to lift spirits. Such a simple idea to include everyone in building community spirit.

To learn more about Sidewalk Joy and to find tiny libraries filled with joy near you, check out the Worldwide Sidewalk Joy map. Perhaps you’ll be inspired to create one near you, and add it to the map.

Another story of connection comes from Matter Neuroscience . Regular readers may remember that this company set up a social experiment with a phone booth in Texas and San Francisco. They wanted to see if phone conversations between Republicans and Democrats could lead to finding common ground in spite of diverging political views. The experience has reportedly been a positive one, and now the organization has repeated the concept with a phone for Zoomers (outside a cafe at Boston University) and one for Boomers (inside a seniors housing complex in Reno, Nevada). Research has shown that young adults and older adults experience the highest levels of loneliness of any age group so the intention of this experiment is to bridge the isolation gap.

I find it fascinating that in this age of instant messaging, the old-fashioned telephone is making a comeback and building new connections through conversation.

And now for a story about a bookclub with a difference. In Florida, a reporter with the Tampa Bay Times has partnered with a local bookstore to host bookclub nights that focus on current news stories rather than books. The reporter, Lauren Peace, selects a news story a month in advance so attendees have time to read it before the event. She moderates a discussion between the author of the story and the community, and they cover not just the topic but the reporting process behind it. In this way, the community is becoming more involved in its own issues and Peace is raising awareness of what happens behind the scenes. Another great example of grassroots community building.

Glimmers are all around just waiting for us to notice.

Photo: J Wise

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