The one thing that you have that nobody else has is you. Your voice, your mind, your story, your vision. So write and draw and build and play and dance and live as only you can. ~ Neil Gaiman

Every so often I pack up my car with camping gear and drive through Frontierland along "The Loneliest Highway 50" to reach the ancient Bristlecone Pines. This place once housed the oldest living tree in the world. This grove would be quite easy to overlook; the trees are gnarley, and weathered, and not particularly big. As I roam among them I think of what they have witnessed in history and the weather challenges in a high elevation, windy area. How has this community of trees thrived for 5000 years? These pines represent powerful community and resilience.

It takes the power of community support to lift us, and courage and grit to connect with that community. Sometimes we feel weathered by relationships or intimidated by slick, social media, profiles that seem to have all the right things to say. We have a story only we can tell, and those stories wind through twisted paths of risk taking and decision making until we bravely share them with others.

Acting as a gentle guide to encourage others to use their voice to speak up for themselves, and for others, is at the root of my love for teaching Interpersonal, Group Communication and a Sustainability themed Public Speaking course. The community around us acts as both a safety net and force, that propels us to grow as communicators. We do not start communicating day one of class, but it is here we reinvent, imagine, stand up and connect. I can't wait to hear your story.