There is a deeply hobbit-ish part of my soul that feels lost and confused, and not because I've had one too many pints. I noticed recently, not for the first time mind you, that I've embraced the popular habit of dissociating behind a screen. And when I manage to break out of my stupor and see the real world around me, I'm a little upset that we've collectively outsourced our social lives to the internet. And yes, I can see the irony about typing that last sentence in a blog post. If you stop reading right now and go for a walk around your neighborhood instead, I salute you. But for those who are still here, I'll stay on my soapbox a little longer before signing off.
Adam and I have often lamented the lack of gathering places in our culture. Specifically, British-style pubs were brought up as the prime example of what we're missing (I'm fairly sure he used pubs as his example because he was referencing a research paper. He's an economist, and he references research papers the way I reference Harry Potter...which also has pubs so I ran with it). Pubs are a cultural living room where everyone in the family gets to unwind, a hub where stories are shared and communities are built. Many are family friendly during the day and early evening, and so people of all ages end up rubbing shoulders and learning about each other's lives. I must say, as much fun as I've had learning about Ashley and her foster cats in Washington over on Instagram, I don't bump into her on the street all that much, and so the sense of community is just...less.
I vote that we bring back gathering. That we talk to our neighbors and invite them over for a cup of tea. That we open our doors and tables and campfires and messy living rooms to the person across the road who we nod at every time we take the dog out, but have never bothered to get to know. Are they a little weird? Probably. But guess what: you are too. It's high time we started sharing our weirdness together again.
The four pillars of Spiritual Sovereignty
mental awareness • emotional intelligence • VALUE AFFIRMATION • spiritual nourishment
What to do, when to do it?
How do you decide how to spend your time? Look at a commonplace occurence: eating lunch. No two people are doing this in exactly the same way. Someone is eating out because they value speed, while someone else is eating out because they value quality. Someone is skipping lunch because they value productivity, and someone is taking two hours to prepare a meal because they value service and are bringing food to a friend. You have probably been all of these people at one point or another, so how do you decide which one to be on any given day? Are you consciously connecting with your time, and are those decisions made based on what you value in life?
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