Sometimes it feels like neighbors and local people just don't care much about the people around them. People drive fast, cut each other off, don't want to wait their turn, don't stop when a car is on the side of the road, etc. I am happy to say that in my neighborhood community does exist! Perhaps the people who you would expect to be the most helpful and supportive aren't, but others might be.
      I've been watching the news about all the storms in the US and I like to see and hear about people sharing their power and doing what they can to help others. Sometimes the little things make such a huge difference.  After the big snowfalls I get to see the same type of thing. Road reports posted on FaceBook for people to see them, parents offering to babysit for those who need it, information sharing everywhere, and those with snowblowers or strong arms and good shovels helping to dig out those who need it. I watched the news and learned of some people who litereally just stayed around a corner or hill to help push out people who were getting stuck for a couple hours. This makes me feel great! I will be baking cookies for all those I can reach around me, they helped me and others and that is the least I can do to thank them. 
      This follows after last week watching parents bicker and argue over things I dont' feel are worth it. Perhaps my child is too young for me to understand, but sometimes it seems they react strongly to ordinary kid things, and it saddens me that we can't all stick together and help each other. Children get lice, they take hairspray and perfume to school, they catch a cold or a flu and don't always show symptoms until they've already been to school. As parentsl we try our best to keep sick kids home, to keep things that shouldn't be at school at home, and we ALL try to keep our kids from getting lice. That doesn't mean that soemone is a bad parent or should be judged because these little cuties slipped something past their parents. Goodness knows, we all did it!
       If we could just keep this sense of community open and going without weather forcing us too, I think we could all be a little happier and maybe a little less stressed.  How great it would be to know that if you needed a sitter your neighbor would help, or to know if your kid is sick people will ask how they are and be worried about your child, not how many germs they spread around first. I'm going to do my best to grow a community around me, and to be a supportive member of it.