ASSINIBOIA - “Stronger Together” is the motto of a community group that is hosting potlucks at the Knox Hall in Weyburn. It is more than just food, too. These events are about coming together as a community, making new friends, and enjoying tasty food created by some amazing cooks.
There are many times in the past when I have struggled feeling alone and without social support. Thankfully I have a close relationship with my family, and I know that any one of them are just a phone call away when I need them. For those people who do not have family support, or social support, this type of community event is very valuable.
Weyburn has a good reputation of being very welcoming, especially since the city was once known as the Opportunity City, and the Hospitality Capital of Saskatchewan. I have been lucky enough to attend several functions that showcase the strength of our community.
I have attended suppers hosted by the Malayali group of Weyburn, Inclusion Weyburn, the Community Hot Meal program, and now feel welcome and invited by the Stronger Together Community Potluck. One of the amazing parts of being a newspaper reporter is getting the opportunity to attend so many wonderful community events.
I love how I am sometimes recognized due to this fact, too. Just the other day, I was covering a Wey-Clean Week at the Legacy Park Elementary School, and one of the students recognized me from a Welcome Weyburn event. Recently, while covering a Weyburn Angels baseball game, one of the players welcomed me by saying ‘Hello, Ms. Kraft’.
There are few other places that I have been that have such a strong community bond or connection. Weyburn is one of those special places that is large enough to offer many ‘big city’ conveniences and programs, but small enough to still have strong community ties and connection.
Our community is not perfect, unfortunately. There are still those people who will gossip, or say negative things about others, without truly knowing the whole story. It is unfortunate that there are still those individuals who depend on gossip or slander to make themselves feel better. There is a saying that states, ‘blowing out someone else’s candle won’t make yours burn any brighter’.
I try my best not to focus any negative thoughts on others in my life, but even I slip up now and then. Sometimes in our lives, our traumatic experiences and negative stimuli are the focus of our thoughts. There are times when I will find myself stewing over an offhand comment for days, when it really should not affect me that much.
It is important to focus on what is special and amazing about the other people in your life. I have found it useful to write down positive things about a person, when I find myself overwhelmed by something negative that happened. I find it is a better way to discover the core reason to why I was feeling a certain way, and redirect my thoughts to something more positive and uplifting.
Especially when it comes to social media, there are so many times when ‘keyboard warriors’ just type out a statement or a comment on another person’s post, without thinking about how it might affect the other person. There has definitely been an increase of online bullying, and many people shy away from Facebook because of being attacked by mean comments or posts.
We have to remember that a negativity bias has a profound effect on our relationships. It is a hard way to live, expecting the worst in others. I would much rather pay compliments to my friends and family, and showcase the amazing community spirit that does exist in Weyburn.
