When I act on behalf of my community, I feel wealthier. You may have experienced this too if you’ve ever volunteered locally.  Most recently, I found that my neighbor (an amazing masseuse) is willing to do bodywork for me in exchange for my inoculating oak logs with shiitake mushrooms that will produce food for her family. To me, this exchange is worth more than money, directly connecting people who have unique gifts to share with one another. You can experience more joy, bui

by Rick Wilson As people across the United States face massive cuts to Medicaid, SNAP and other vital programs, many are asking: What happens when the systems we rely on fail us? And what happens when our communities are torn apart by toxic inequality, political fragmentation and declining social trust? The solution may lie in something that humans have been doing throughout our existence: taking care of each other, often without realizing it. Today that’s what some of us cal

by Sarah Henry Heads up, green thumbs struggling to offload excess edibles: Aid is out there. A growing movement, designed to help people eat well, save money, and get to know their neighbors, is planting seeds in communities around the country. Crop swaps – meet ups where people exchange their surplus backyard bounty – are thriving from the San Francisco Bay Area to Boston in city and suburban enclaves and online, too. Of course, there's nothing particularly new about this p