Nigel Darius 
The individual was not created to be
isolated
to be alone
without someone or someone’s to walk
along with on this journey that we call
life
yet in our uncertain times
we have been blindsided by monumental
moments
ones that have pushed each of us into a
corner of questioning
tempting us not to test the thoughts
that we think or fight with the feelings
that we feel
and in this
many have been wedged within the chasm
of confusion
filled more often than not with both
fear and hope somehow at the same time
holding devices in our hands while
wrestling with the vices in our hearts
we sat at home
scrolling refreshing
second-guessing the outcome of many
overwhelming and emotional moments
waiting day by day for updates on what
the world is up to and how it’s doing
what humanity has its hand in and how it
seems to be handling itself
and if we’re left alone
the effects of isolation only grow as
the days go by
something happens to each of us when we
see and experience sickness
when we deal with death and division or
experience the pains of political and
racial tensions
and in each season
those very matters are ever-rising
pulling us further and further apart as
we feed into feuds over facebook
exchange insecurities over instagram and
take the tensions in our hearts to
twitter
you know it was once said that we divide
easily
because we love shallowly
and loving shallowly comes at a
significant cost
it cost us what we could have
faith
fulfillment
friendship and freedom
hangouts hugs
handshakes and high fives compassion
conviction
sympathy and empathy
and ultimately
the safest place to find all of these
things
community
the place where you speak
but you’re also heard the place where
disagreements don’t lead to division yet
they open us up to understanding the
place where our individual abilities
collide to make a collective
contribution the place where we embody
and embrace the beautiful truth that we
belong to each other the place where we
don’t wear our weight all by ourselves
or try to run our race alone
or we listen
lock arms
and lean on others
so that we can be carried by community
[In the shadow of the killing of Ahmaud Arbery in 2020, and the 2021 Atlanta spa shootings, Nigel Wallace sat down with James Ro and Bamn Ford of Atlanta Run Club, a safe, inclusive community focused both on fitness and the care of one another. In the face of inequity and tragedy, how can we use those events as fuel for positive change? “Energy is transferable. I take a piece of what has happened in that situation and allow it to push me forward.” -Bamn Ford]
