Wellness: Community with gran corazón

I was recently reminded that the name Creemore is derived from the Gaelic “croi mor” which means “big heart.” This got me thinking about what it means to be a community with a big heart. I’ve been staying in an intentional community in the hills of Costa Rica that shares a similar “gran corazón” dream. Alegria is a community that has been built around a community garden, communal kitchen and gathering space called The Hive. Fanning out from this gran corazón, or big heart, are property lots where locals and people from all over the world have built homes. Every Tuesday community members gather to receive a garden share which consists of greens, fruit, and herbs. Tuesdays are quite social. A time for hugs and conversation. It reminded me of the coffee and conversation that happens at the Station on the Green on Tuesday mornings, and the Clearview EcoPark Community Garden. The connections that happen while sharing gifts from the garden or a cup of coffee are truly heart warming and can add years to your life! Researchers have found that social connection helps people live longer, healthier lives. In fact, being socially disconnected or lonely is affiliated with a higher risk of illness such as anxiety, depression, heart disease and dementia. 

Alegria also has a large, open air yoga shala with spectacular views where community members lead exercise, yoga, art, empowerment, and dance classes. The “payment” is gratitude and the knowledge that they can attend someone else’s class. The fitness classes at Alegria remind me of the free VON SMART classes offered at St. Luke’s Anglican church on Monday evenings and Tuesday mornings. Creemore also has the Village Green where many free community events happen. 

Although Alegria isn’t located in the Nicoya area of Costa Rica that is designated a “Blue Zone” it shares many similarities. A Blue Zone is the name given to an area of the world where the majority of people have a life expectancy of at least 100 years old. There are five Blue Zones: Sardinia, Italy; Okinawa, Japan; Loma Linda, California; Ikaria, Greece; and Nicoya, Costa Rica. Researcher Dan Buettner coined the term Blue Zone and discovered they share the following nine characteristics; regular physical activity, the feeling of a sense of purpose in life, a lack of stress, a moderate caloric intake, a mostly plant based diet, moderate to low alcohol intake, spirituality and religious involvement/beliefs, strong family ties, and an engaging social life. If you want to learn more about Blue Zones there’s a great documentary on Netflix entitled “Live to 100 – Secrets of the Blue Zones.” Life here in Alegria emulates most of the nine Blue Zone characteristics and the elders I’ve met definitely have more vitality and strength than I do. All the hills here help the body. The sun facilitates vitamin D production which supports bone and immune health, and there’s a deep community willingness to help and encourage each other. All things I know to be true of Creemore as well. Although we are 6,350 km away from each other we have many beautiful and beneficial wellness traits in common. Que ambas comunidades sigan creciendo y prosperando (may both communities continue to grow and thrive). 

On Saturday, June 7 Creemore’s first Kindness Festival will be taking place in conjunction with the Farmers’ Market; and on Sunday, June 8 the second annual Wellness Day and Indigenous Market will offer our community a chance to learn, grow, connect, and share.