February 5, 2011

My Cousin Diana - Community Builder

This afternoon I was at my cousin Diana's house and she has a magical way of instantly creating community amongst her diverse friends. We played Werewolf, Diana's new most-favorite game, and within an hour the guests were building alliances and killing each other off.

With that said, it may seem sarcastic for me to say that Diana is a community builder. However, despite the potential darkness of this game, she manages to create an environment of love and trust. Diana loves games and her friends and neighbors eagerly attend her parties to experience her latest fun adventure. There is something about her that opens people up to creativity, letting go and being open-hearted.

Diana and I have been close for about 15 years, ever since I first moved to the Bay Area. We didn't know each other growing up, even though we lived quite close. But now she is one of the most important and influential people in my life and each time I visit her home, I feel so loved by her community.