This is Optimal Finance Daily. ABCs of Wealth, Part 2 by Vicky Robin with rich and resilient

living.com. Belonging. Who can you turn to when you need help? Who will listen to you with

compassion? Who will bring you meals when you're sick? Who will celebrate your joys? Our human bonds of love and loyalty have always gotten us through the night and life. Mobility, urbanization, and careerism have sucked the time out of our lives for this love economy. But fires are reversing that trend. Not only does this love economy make life less expensive,

it makes life richer and precisely what life is really truly for, giving and receiving.

Maybe Uncle Harry came over to fix the faucet. Later, you go to your friend Lily's house to pay

the favor forward with what Uncle Harry taught you.

Then you get sick and Lily drops off some get-well soon soup, and on it goes in this currency of belonging.

What relationships from your past need repair?

And can you repair them so that kindness can flow?

It's no accident that most spiritual paths, including the Alcoholics

Anonymous and other recovery programs, suggest an honest look at your relationships, who you've

harmed, who you still resent, who you need to make peace with. Loneliness is an epidemic and

expensive. The aforementioned examples have both natural and

financial benefits. Being able to distribute your chores, errands, and needs helps save everyone time and

money. And anyone worth their weight and salt would be happy to return the favor. Those with

strong relationships will always have someone to cook dinner with, drive them to the airport, help them move across town, or introduce them to future employment opportunities.

This is sometimes referred to as social capital or the wealth you create through your networks of mutually beneficial relationships.

While dating and mating is one way to build belonging wealth,

cultivating enduring friendships and relationships in your local community is also key. Just as dancing is a

skill, belonging is a skill, and you build it through listening, acts of kindness, and simple rituals

like a weekly call or a monthly women's or

men's circle. Community. Wide in the circle of relatedness, and you're in the third pillar of

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