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When Melissa told us on the first day of 401 that our Sept. 11 course would be held in 3 Dots Downtown, I was dreading it. Not because of the content material or the speaker, but simply because of the location. See, I have a class that ends 15 minutes prior to the start of 401 in the Forest Resources Building. For those of you unfamiliar with where this is located, it’s right behind the Creamery. Normally walking from the Creamery to Althouse Lab takes me 10 minutes, if that. But thinking about hauling it from there to Beaver Ave honestly just made me not want to come at all. I emailed Kristine to let her know I would possibly be late, and resigned myself to the speed walking/running that would have to take place.

As fate would have it, I somehow arrived on time. I was even greeted by a dog, which made the whole thing that much better. (It’s important to note that I was super sick, and honestly was wondering if Bodi was part of a fever dream). Once we got into the discussion with Spud, I was disappointed with myself for the mindset that I had come into class with. I acted like a few extra minutes added to my walk was a major inconvenience, failing to remember that Spud took an entire 50 minutes out of his day solely dedicated to us. I loved the 3 Dots space; not only because it provided us an environment different from the classroom we are typically in, but also because it allowed us to engage with a space actively used by the community. I think that understanding our community and learning about different ways to engage with it through someone who does it daily is so important to helping us grow as leaders. Through Spud’s discussion about his own personal journey, I learned so much about the challenges and triumphs of starting something from absolutely nothing, and relying on the kindness of strangers with a shared vision of community.

That particular part, about shared vision and community efforts, really resonated with me. Last year, I became heavily involved with a United Methodist church plant called The Valley here in State College. A church plant is basically when the United Methodist conference (essentially the organizational and logistical governing body of all the churches within a specified area) places a pastor in an area, and supports them in their endeavors to create a church community. The Valley is led by Pastor Tim Parker, and his entire vision of how to build this church is focused around first building community. We’ve hosted barbecues, ice cream socials, community gatherings, and so many other events that aren’t a church service. Tim has even participated in the Potluck Brainstorms at 3 Dots, and has made so many connections and new ideas from them. I thought it was so cool to see the perspective of the person who helped 3 Dots come to be when I’ve also had the opportunity to see the perspective of someone who has greatly benefitted from the community it provides.

This blog has been a bit scattered, but I think the main point I’m trying to make is to go into everything with an open mind and a positive attitude. I was annoyed about walking farther, which is small in the grand scheme of things. But that kind of mindset, one that doesn’t want to do anything slightly out of their way, one that doesn’t get excited for new things, is what causes communities to come to a standstill. On Wednesday, it was a walk I didn’t want to make. But what if next week it’s a meeting I don’t want to come to, then a person I don’t want to help… you get the point. Allowing yourself to be negative about the little things makes it so much easier for you to make excuses about the big ones. When Tim told me he was trying to create an entire church out of nothing, I jumped right in because his attitude and outlook made me believe it could happen. He started with “I’m excited to do this” rather than “this will be hard, but we have to make it work.” When Spud’s other projects didn’t work out, he still went into each new one with the same positive mindset. 3 Dots could have been a colossal failure and ended up as a uniquely decorated, but entirely vacant space. But it didn’t. It worked because he believed in it, and he didn’t let doubts and fears ruin the potential he saw. I know that I can’t go into everything without concern or even a little negativity, but I can do my best to intentionally try to embrace an open mind and positive attitude.