While you could try more traditional (and ultimately ineffective) approaches to dealing with your addiction to relaxation (e.g. changing careers, exercising, medications, altering your daily routine, or surrounding yourself with “peppy” people), there is one method to doing so that is guaranteed to Work … literally.

The Power-full Alternative: BUILDING COMMUNITY

For thousands of years, your ancestors lived in barrios, hamlets, small neighborhoods, and villages. Yet in the time since our parents and grandparents were young, privacy has become so over-cherished that many neighborhoods are not much more than individual houses that happen to be located near one another.

Where our activities were once open and shared, they are now mostly engaged separately and hidden behind locked doors and backyard fences. The streets in front of our homes are judged to be “no longer safe”, and are therefore often “out of bounds” for children and adults alike. Extended families that once all lived in the same community are now spread across the country and see each other maybe once or twice a year. Where we once knew every neighbor’s birthdays and favorite hobbies, today we don’t even know their names.

Our communities have become malnourished and weak, and yet they are not yet dead … Turning a cold neighborhood into a vibrant village can be a daunting task, it is true, and yet folks are doing just that all across the country – and you can too!

So instead of succumbing to your addiction to sit back and do nothing, now is the time for you to stand up and take a stand – now is the time for you to break down the sloth and the indifference that are keeping you isolated — now is the time to do so by building up your community’s sense of Togetherness.

Here are a few tips to help you get started …

TIP #01: GO FOR EVENING WALKS, and remember to greet everyone you meet with a warm “Hello” and a sincere smile. Make sure as well to let them know that you appreciate them, and ask if there is anything you can do to help them out in any way.

TIP #02: PICK UP NEIGHBORHOOD TRASH … This is a good one to do once a month with the neighborhood kids.

TIP #03: MOVE YOUR PICNIC TABLE TO THE FRONT YARD … See what happens when you eat supper regularly out front. It’s likely you’ll strike up a conversation with a neighbor, so be ready to invite them to bring a dish to share.

TIP #04: PLANT a FRONT-YARD VEGETABLE GARDEN … Build a raised bed for veggies and plant edible landscaping and fruit trees. Release your previous boundaries by inviting your neighbors to share the spoils. If you don’t have a front yard, consider getting a few neighbors together and planting a neighborhood garden where there is space for one.

TIP #05: SHARE A BLOCK PARTY … Be sure to go out of your way to personally invite all those in the neighborhood who seem to feel like “outsiders”.

TIP #06: Instead of shopping all the time, START TO BARTER &/or SHARE with your neighbors … Have too much of a particular food or staple? Consider giving it away to those in your community who might be in need.

TIP #07: SHOP LOCALLY (& buy seasonally) … Seek out your nearest farmer’s market and visit it once a week – every week. Make it a point to personally know by name the producers (or at least the direct distributors) of all the food you & your family eat.

TIP #08: GIVE AWAY HOME-BAKED GOODS … And be sure to rotate your recipients, so that everyone in the neighborhood regularly gets a taste of your Kindness.

TIP #09: OFFER to BABY-SIT for NEIGHBORS … Everyone needs a break from parenting. Offer to do this priceless service for the parents in your community – especially those with younger children.

TIP #10: HIRE LOCAL YOUTH TO DO ODD-JOBS … Teenagers are a priceless resource for every community, and we are losing our teens rapidly to gangs, the Internet and video games. “Fight back” by giving them something meaning-full to do for their neighborhood.

TIP #11: Regularly (& anonymously) PLACE FLOWERS & GRATITUDE CARDS on your neighbors’ windshields or in their mailboxes.

TIP #12: Once a month, HAVE A PUBLIC READING of children’s books, and invite the neighborhood children to attend.

TIP #13: WASH A NEIGHBOR’S CAR for them.

TIP #14: MOW A NEIGHBOR’S LAWN for them.

TIP #15: Hugs … HUGS … and more HUGS!!!

TIP #16: Build a large front porch and “open it to the public” … If this it too expensive or time-consuming for you, just SIT ON YOUR STOOP every evening & WAVE to passersby.

TIP #17: REMOVE YOUR BACKYARD FENCE … Join in with other neighbors to create a shared play-space for children, a community garden, &/or a wood-fired pizza oven. If that’s too radical, consider cutting your six-foot fence to four feet to make chatting across the fence easier, or build in gates between yards.

TIP #18: BE A “GOOD NEIGHBOR” … It’s easy to focus on your own worries & concerns, and yet a slight shift of focus (from you & yours to others & theirs) can make a huge difference in the day-to-day lives of your neighborhood. Check in on your elderly neighbor if her curtains aren’t raised in the morning. On a hot summer day, put out a pitcher of lemonade for passersby (or a bowl of cool water for neighborhood dogs). On cold days, do the same but replace the lemonade with some hot tea or coffee.

In conclusion, I know that this is a challenging transition to make … Moving from a low-energy focus on yourself to a High-Energy focus on others is never easy.

AND YET, when you have the courage to do so – especially when you are “too down” or “too tired” or “too busy”, you too will come to know the pure Joy that comes to all those who return to Living an active Life of Kindness, as opposed to a lazy “life” of isolation.

“When it comes to caring for one’s community, moderation is the feebleness & sloth of the soul.” ~ inspired by Francois de la Rochefoucauld