Overinvest in Your Community
May 22, 2014
By Jillian Owens
“I just can’t wait to get out of here. I can’t wait to get out of Columbia.”
I’ve heard this many times, and you probably have too.
I was talking to a good friend of mine about his recent visit to Portland. As he showed me pictures from his travels on his phone, phrases like, “Why can’t we have an awesome donut shop like that here? Why can’t we have more breweries here? Why can’t we have blocks of food trucks here? Why can’t our farmer’s market be as big as the one I saw there?” kept coming up. And I get it…Portland is really fantastically cool.
I keep seeing friends and acquaintances moving away to what they assume will be greener pastures, saying there’s nothing here for them. This bugs me.
This “Here we are now. Entertain us.” mentality is vexing. How do these folks think Portland, Austin, New York, Seattle, or any other “fun” city got that way? Here’s a hint: It wasn’t by sitting around marathoning Mad Men on Netflix and griping that there’s nothing to do.
If you see something missing in your city, guess what? YOU can be the person who fills that gap! Yes, YOU! Doesn’t that excite you? Why don’t we have an amazing donut shop? Probably because no one has made this happen yet, but YOU could be the person who does! Are you unhappy with how our city is treating the homeless population? Get involved! When you see a need that can be filled, YOU can be that person to fill it!
We’re waiting….
It’s no secret that I love Columbia. I think it’s a delightfully quirky city that’s growing in inspiring ways. And I see myself having a part in that growth that wouldn’t be as impactful in a larger city. Columbia needs cool, clever, and smart people to make this happen. Doesn’t it feel good to be needed?
You have a unique opportunity to be a revolutionary here that wouldn’t be as valued in a larger populace. You can make things happen, and you can make Columbia the kind of city you want it to be. You just need to invest. No. Don’t just invest. I want you to overinvest in your community for one month.
Just one month.
For one month, I want you to be a “yes” person. I want you to say “yes” to every community event you’re invited to. I want you to say “yes” to every volunteer opportunity that comes your way. I want you to say “yes” to things that you aren’t sure you’ll even enjoy. Fill your calendar to the brim. Because if you do this, I can promise you you’re going to surprise yourself. You’re going to meet people who are passionate and driven. You’re going to discover this enthusiasm is contagious. You’re going to become a more well-rounded person. Don’t you want to be an asset to whatever city you decide to move or not move to, rather than a passive leech who happily laps up the surprisingly sweet sweat of others’ labors?
Think on that.
“No matter where you go, there you are.” –Buckaroo Bonzai
Listen to him. He’s been across the 8th Dimension.
Jillian Owens is a writer, designer, and eco-fashion revolutionary. A Columbia SC transplant, she graduated from the University of South Carolina with a BFA in Theatre and English. When she’s not gallivanting about, she’s busy refashioning ugly thrift store duds into fashionable frocks at ReFashionista, to helping you live the good life on the cheap at Broke in Columbia, or helping the underserved through her work in Community Impact at United Way of the Midlands. She also reviews local theater productions for Jasper Magazine and Onstage Columbia. Any comments, questions, or crude remarks can be directed to [email protected].
