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I *Heart* OM

There's a new kid in town:

@macsmom: We think #OaklandMills is Awesome--do you? https://t.co/vwWdbo2fCH #columbiamd #HoCoMd

In sharing the new page, Mary Kate Murray stated:

This page, not affiliated with the official Oakland Mills Village page, has the sole purpose of increasing the love and good will in OM, Columbia, MD!

In only one day the page is close to has reached 100 likes, and it is filling up with good news about the Oakland Mills community. For example: the award-winning Stevens Forest Elementary PTA, improvements made to Talbott Springs Elementary on the Green Apple Day of Service, the upcoming Oakland Mills Cultural Arts Festival, and more.

How often in life do we get an invitation to speak up for the good? These days it seems as though much of social media is focused on the negative. And I have noticed a trend in my own village to highlight every perceived flaw. When complaint is piled on complaint, it is enough to make some people think that our whole village needs reinventing!

Whether or not you live in Oakland Mills, I'll bet there is a lot of good going on in your community that, if someone just asked, you'd be willing to share. A kind neighbor, an improved retail establishment, a dedicated teacher, a valued tradition. And when your story is shared, it serves to lift others up.

In Columbia we have these things called villages. Some folks are extremely conscious of their own village, its history, and what makes it tick, while others are happy to have a nice house and a neighborhood school and don't really give it much more thought than that. Outside of Columbia it isn't all that different: some are highly tuned in to their neighborhoods and communities, some are more or less happy residents for whom those local issues are not at the forefront of their minds.

But we all live together and can learn from one another. And while we'll always need to be engaged in the work of improvement, it is equally important that we take the time to celebrate the things and the people that we love. This is as valuable a component of community-building as meetings, committees, and task forces. This post on the "Oakland Mills is Awesome" page says it well:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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