Have you ever felt pressure from people or situations at work or in your neighborhood that you can’t fully control? The practice of Circles of Responsibility is adapted from Stephen Covey’s “Seven Habits of Highly Effective People” and is designed to guide you in many aspects of discernment, including decision-making clarity, reducing anxiety, navigating conflict, and helping people shift from rumination to responsibility.

The text message from my neighbor came the weekend after he and his family moved out. “Can I borrow your mower tomorrow? If not. That’s ok.” He needed to mow his yard before the new family moved in and had already moved all the tools from his garage. “Absolutely. I’ll have the battery charged.” I replied. It was a punctuation mark on two years of lending tools to each other while he lived on our street.

Public transportation provides a practical way to know your neighbors and neighborhood. It is a different method of moving around the city. For many it is essential as it eliminates the cost of owning and operating an automobile.