I've been giving a lot of thought to Gardenspot's direction and it keeps coming back to a very simple premise: a place for people to feel a part of something without reprimand or apology.

It's a bit of a challenge, because many of us are accustomed to withdrawing and isolating. And yet...

Each time I interact with people they come alive. It is as though they're reanimated at the point of connection. Every time I witness this phenomenon I realize the deadening effects of emotional detachment have far too many detrimental effects to ignore any longer.

Gardenspot strives to offer a place to people that want to connect but don't know how, can't muster the courage, or simply can't find the landing place that would allow them to blossom to their full extent. The word "community" often evokes an image of people doing things in categories: artist community, elderly community, college campus community...but that's not the community that Gardenspot wants to grow. 

We want to offer a place for every person despite our personal preferences to congregate with the purpose of healing via the nurturing of self.

There is a quote: "You cannot fix a problem with the same mindset that created it." This is all too true. How is it that we can sit in our homes, day after day, feeling cut off and alone and not know the neighbor that resides, quite possible cut off and alone, in the house or apartment right next door? If our mindset it geared towards loneliness, the probability that we will not connect with others is high.

Those of us pushing to make Gardenspot a reality aren't licensed professionals. We don't have the resources to cure lost souls. We can't begin to offer a permanent solution for people that have languished in intolerable emotional situations without resolution, or even simple relief.

But we do hope to offer a place. A place to come when you want to connect without fear of rejection. If your intentions are good, your manner is polite and your drive to heal is intact, then we may be able to offer a first step.

The premise of Gardenspot is simple: a place that offers book studies, workshops, seminars and the like on the evolution of the inner self. It will also be a place where artists can come and share their work, not just with other artists, but with all of us. It will be a place that may inspire you to produce your own work. If you deem your work too amateurish, we don't care. It's not about the look of people, places or things; it's about the inner core, about the beauty you possess inside of yourself. That's what we hope you gain access to.

It is a place where you may want to start a book study on a philosopher that you admire, or share a particular talent you have. Maybe you write and you need a couple actors that want to stretch their acting muscles. Connect with each other and work out the scene at Gardenspot.

How about some time to relax and converse over a cup of coffee with a couple of fellows? We’ll have a pot on for you, come and have a cup. Do you want to share insights you’ve gained through a twelve-step program, a class you took or a meet-up group that inspires you? How can you share this with others using Gardenspot’s resources?

Do you have a need? Can a fellow village member fill it? Is there a way to help area business owners retain the Mom and Mop vibes many of us remember with wistful fondness? Those businesses were a place where you could go and browse, talk with the owner and shoot the breeze for a few minutes. Wouldn’t it be nice to have that atmosphere made available to you again?

That’s the environment we want to foster at Gardenspot. If we do it right, hopefully it will encourage others to reach out and replicate it. Little by little, one person at a time, the village mentality begins to grow and the members respond to the simple goal of honesty, integrity and belonging.

How nice is that?