Quite naturally, the bloom of first love faded and I began to appreciate the mundane reality of committing to the same place, the same work, and the same people every day. The community members were incredibly generous, welcoming me and many volunteers into their home, but I sensed that at a certain point I needed to make a decision – to stay long-term and work for the good of the community, perhaps forsaking a career and financial stability. I wasn’t prepared to do that.

The strongest impediment to community, I discovered, was myself.