There Are Plenty Of Ways To Foster Community And Connection From 6 Feet Apart — Here’s How

One of the things that makes this great country work is the idea of community.

But because of the current situation, people are more divided than ever. On top of that, many people seem to be taking a very "every man for themselves" approach to the health crisis. Because of this, it's hard to feel connected during these trying times.

Wendell Miracle Pialet feels hopeful that positivity is the key to change. Wendell is a motivational speaker and the founder of Hope Nuggets. He started this movement to bring hope to people who are facing hopeless situations and to give them practical steps to accomplishing their dreams.

Wendell has struggled through difficulties of his own. He lived with anxiety and depression after losing his mother to a 13-year-long cancer battle. The conditions deeply impacted his everyday life. He lost his life savings and his job during that dark time.

He made it through that time and ultimately chose happiness. Wendell wanted to overcome, to get through to the other side, and he wanted to help those like him. He shared his insights in his first book, Have a Magical Day: 7 Keys to Living Happy Every Day. Now he's helping us see the possibilities for fostering community, even from 6 feet apart.

Wendell Miracle believes that a positive community can make for happier people. Wendell came to his place of happiness after some dark times in his life. In 2012, the motivational speaker and author lost his mother to a 13-year-long breast cancer battle.

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Wendell went into a deep battle with depression and anxiety that saw some serious lows. He lost his life savings. He lost his job. He had to start over. In order to do that, Wendell had to choose happiness.

Choosing happiness helped Wendell overcome depression and anxiety. He also feels it'll help our country, and the world, overcome those feelings.

Right now, it's hard to feel a sense of community. We have to stay distant from each other. We can't gather and celebrate things in all the ways we might have before.

The good news is that we have the power to break that cycle. Wendell believes that by modeling community, we can get our kids excited about participating in our communities.

"We can show them successful people who have shown passion towards giving back to the community," he noted.

Wendell thinks that those who feel happiness and success should talk about the role community plays in meeting goals and feeling good. He thinks seeing all tiers of the community engaged is important in getting kids excited.

"Professional athletes, celebrities, and even not so famous yet successful people have shown a willingness to give back, and if we show children these examples, they would definitely get excited about it."

One of the ways that we can model spreading happiness through our communities is by exploring all the ways of doing so that don't involve physical contact. Childlike creativity could actually help you come up with something new, Wendell shares.

"Growing up I had secret handshakes with certain friends," Wendell shared.

"I think having fun hand gestures with no contact is a nice way to still express that love and care."

For younger or more shy children, spreading happiness through a community may seem daunting. There are ways to ease them into being more comfortable interacting with others outside the family in these instances.

"We can teach them that giving is a blessing," Wendell suggested. "And that it's one of the greatest keys to success.

"Talk to them about how and why they can be a giver and not a taker. Explain that when you help others, doors will be opened for you."

In addition to happiness, Wendell thinks we need to teach kids about gratitude. It's not an easy time for some families to feel grateful. The key to seeing the brighter side, Wendell feels, is treating gratitude like a habit.

"They can keep gratitude journals," Wendell said of getting kids started.

"In these journals, they would write three things they're grateful for and do it for at least 21 days. As they do this, they will get in the habit of practicing gratitude until it becomes a lifestyle, something they do naturally."

The last few months of the year are largely about being together. It's a time to celebrate family and community, a time to practice gratitude. It's impossible to ignore how health concerns are going to impact the events that give us those feelings. Still, Wendell says there's hope.

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"I just encourage people to use technology to our advantage since there are so many ways to stay connected," Wendell says.

"I incorporated some fun things to do with my family each week that allowed us to stay connected. Two specific things were board game night and one TikTok dance per week. These were incredibly fun, brought so much joy, and a mental break from everything going on in the world."

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Another important step is being sure to stay connected to the larger world around you.

"Call a family member, friend, or neighbor that you haven't talked to in a while. Check in on them — see if they need anything."