Community in the Outback

Hold your dear ones close. Reach across the distance of the desert and draw near those who are important to you. Gather around a campfire. We live in a remote environment, and one imperative to thriving here is finding your people and building community.

The Outback is spattered with long distances and isolated towns. However, in many respects, it brings people closer. We are united by our common challenges and blessings. Who else knows what the silence of a breathing desert feels like? Who else knows how it feels to leave a part of your heart somewhere else when you return home, so far from where you’ve visited?

Coming together at the foot of Uluru (Photo credit: Tracey Allen)

Mental health has recently received the spotlight, yet it is still often not spoken of freely. When you embrace friends or family, life flares in your soul. Sharing a meal is about more than just the food. Picking up the phone and reaching out might save a life.

This landscape is huge. Humankind is dwarfed by its expanses. We stay but for a moment, the landscape for eons. The days we have should not be taken for granted, nor should they be spent alone or merely surviving. Connect with those who have your back. Their light will shine in the cloak of darkness that can fall over everything. You must find your people.

They will keep you strong.