In seventeen years, my husband and I have lived in four different communities ranging in population from 17,000 to 5 million. We’ve owned or rented seven different homes. Our oldest kid attended three different elementary schools. You can definitely say we’ve moved a lot.
When we moved to mid-Missouri back in 2017, I was lucky enough to stumble across Melody Warnick’s fantastic book This is Where You Belong. Her research and writing about place attachment helped me form long-lasting bonds with my community—bonds that bolstered me through the pandemic and beyond. I knew I wanted her book to be a part of the exploration of community this month, and (fortunately for us all) she agreed to record an interview! I’m so happy to share her thoughts on place attachment and how loving our communities is more active than passive.
Just as I found with the other interviews I did for this month, I had a wonderful connection with Melody—she is so kind, generous, and passionate about community. I think you’ll all want to spend more time with her.
Please enjoy by listening above or in the podcast app of your choice. You can find Melody’s second book here (note: this is going to be my new gift for college graduates) and you can sign up for her newsletter here.
If you have any questions or comments, feel free to leave them on the post or email me directly!
See you next week for talk about local elections,
This is Where You Belong