Inconvenience is the price you pay for community.

According to the data analysis website Statista, the average American young adult spends two to three hours per day on social media.

(https://www.statista.com/statistics/433871/daily-social-media-usage-worldwide/)

An alarming percentage of my generation is content to sit on their couch, scrolling mindlessly on their phones while life passes them by. They feel that having boundaries means they should never lift a finger for others, and trusting intuition means they should never endure the slightest discomfort. 

Then they complain of loneliness. 

It seems that, in our culture of convenience and hyper-individualism, we've forgotten how to share our time and effort with other people. Yet the recipe for relationship is simple: Show up. Contribute. Consistently. 

Put yourself out there. Introduce yourself to those strangers at the pool. Learn to sign hello to your Deaf barista. Help your elderly neighbor carry her groceries. Hop on that plane and visit those relatives you haven't seen in years. Sign up for that free meditation class. Even if you don't believe in it. Even if you're not sure what you believe. Just go. 

Because community isn't found. It's built. You can't complain that there's no village when you refuse to be a villager. 

[Note: healthy relationships are built on respect and mutual aid. No one is entitled to take advantage of your generosity with no intent of reciprocating. You do not have to enable abuse under the guise of love.]

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