My husband Ed and I have deep friendships with only a handful of people. They’re like priceless gems. They’re like finding home. We’re committed to being there for each other no matter what.

We know that these close relationships provide love, meaning and support. And because of the strong connections we are happier, healthier and we live longer. What a blessing!

But … what we’re just recently discovering is the importance of a very different form of social connection. I’ll call it “community,” a wider social group to which we feel a sense of belonging. It turns out that our motivation, health and happiness are also closely tied to the feeling that we belong to this type of greater community that may share at least some common interests and dreams.

According to a 2010 meta-analysis of 148 mortality studies published in PLOS Medicine, a peer-reviewed medical journal, the mortality risk associated with a lack of a wide social network was comparable to smoking up to 15 cigarettes every day.

Our professional connections once provided such a community without us hardly recognizing its importance. Now that we’re retired, we need to consciously cultivate it.

We’ve begun taking steps in that direction.  Part of the year we live in a close-knit community in Tucson, Arizona.  And in about six weeks, we’re moving into a townhouse that’s part of a new intentional community in Eugene, Oregon. Ten townhouses. Ten new opportunities to forge connections.

I’d love to hear about your experiences with deep friendships and broader community and how you think of their roles in your life.

 

 

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