Sometimes we sit around the dinner table. Bre has cooked a vegan meal, Ruby has made a good dessert. I brought some strawberries. Kitty has just set up  a new table in the living area. It’s right by the window.

Marco comes home from catching them all. Ed is over for dinner, as well. This house is full of history.

Poppy gets home from work. Tim has just spent an hour teaching Ruby the saxophone. There’s a potluck on Sunday, when we’ll all get together again. Andy and Bre will come for the meeting, before going to visit a relative on Father’s day. I am thinking of inviting Maushmi to sleep over, because she lives far away, and getting home at night is hard. Amelie is happy our house will have people in it. She says it will feel warm.

ASEN is a funny little group. All its members have lives outside of the group. All its members are involved in things farther and more wide-ranging than ASEN. ‘What is ASEN?’ One time Bre pointed out the question to me.

The kind of person who decides that their time is well-spent working pro-bono to build, create, care for a community’s well-being and future: that’s the kind of person I want to be friends with.

There are so many of these people all around us. I’m glad they’re there. I’m glad for activists, for writers, scientists, parents, friends, carers, gardeners, performers, film-makers, community organisers, project coordinators, facilitators, givers and giving people. You don’t need to be anyone special to decide to put your talents, energy and time to good use. You don’t need to be well-educated, clever, rich, impressive or popular. When I think that we all come from so many different backgrounds, with diverse life experience, and that we all have something unique to contribute, it makes my heart warm.