Our Habitat: Yours and Mine, By Matthew Whittle

Earlier this month I was sharing with some folks why I started this column and how I came up with the name, “Our Habitat.” And when I looked back, I realized I’ve been writing it almost monthly since 2016. I hadn’t realized it had been so long.

And so even though this month doesn’t represent an anniversary or special marker or anything, I wanted to take just a moment to thank The Buzz for allowing me this space and to thank you for reading.

I also wanted to take a moment to re-visit what this column is about. Often, I write about what’s happening with Habitat for Humanity of Goldsboro-Wayne. But this column is not just a Habitat for Humanity column.

My goal is for it to be about our shared habitat and our shared humanity. Just like the habitats of animals spread beyond their individual nest or burrow, our habitats encompass our homes and our entire communities. And just like animals in an ecosystem, we are all interconnected. When one is strong, the whole chain – the whole community – is strong. But when one part is weak, the whole community is weak.

Today, I fear that too often, and too unnecessarily, we forget our interconnectedness – that what happens in one part of our community affects others, that what happened in the past still impacts us today, and that what we do today, will have ripple effects out to future generations.

And so today as I reflect on this column’s past, I just wanted to share that reminder, as much for me as for you. Thank you for reading!