"SOME PEOPLE LOOK FOR A BEAUTIFUL PLACE. OTHERS MAKE A PLACE BEAUTIFUL." —INAYAT KHAN We humans have basic needs for food, water, shelter, and energy. I believe we can exist on this earth while meeting these needs without destroying the systems that provides for us. But there is another need we have that doesn’t usually make the short list, our need for community. We need to feel we belong somewhere. Lack of belonging leaves us feeling isolated and separate from the whole. It also leads to a plethora of coping strategies which can become harmful: addiction, eating disorders, and fear to name a few. I mostly work on old houses. I’m good at it. The skills I’ve acquired in construction have provided me the ability to bring some of my dreams to reality. My fiancé and I are living in a home originally built in the late 1800’s. We’ve touched nearly every piece of material that was used in the construction and subsequent remodeling of this home. It is not done and it is not perfect. We don’t have a kitchen yet, or central heating but it is ours and we have managed to create a beautiful home without a mortgage. We live in Galena KS, next to the historic Galena lead mine. The landfill is just NE of our property and I watch daily as each load of landfill waste makes the highest point in town a few inches higher. Many people comment that it is unfortunate that the view from our home is dominated by a landfill. Actually I am grateful for the daily reminder that we can do better. We need to do better. I belong here. The family that have taken me in as their own gather here. My soon to be in-laws live a few blocks down the road and we share meals most nights of the week. My partner works most days with her dad at the upholstery shop as a fifth generation upholsterer. Our daughter just got a job at the local newspaper on Main Street. My life isn’t perfect by any means, but I am thankful for all that I have. As I consider how I want to spend the remainder of my most able bodied years I find I need to shift some of my priorities. The environmental impact of my commuting weighs on my conscience. I want to work in this community that I call home. I want the upholstery shop to successfully transition between generations rather than become extinct like many others. I want to aid the land in healing itself from the trauma induced from the years of extraction. I want to support and create a resilient local economy, energy infrastructure, and food system. I want to repair the aging infrastructure of this town, not because it pays well, but because it needs done.