Hello friends,
In my last post I gave myself a goal of upping the fun level in my life. I did pretty well on that front over the last few days, I think. I spent Wednesday morning in the library and then went to Starbucks for an iced coffee – my favorite summertime beverage. Thursday’s dinner with work friends was fun but a bit odd as the guest of honor never showed, using the “brain fart” defense for her actions, and throwing in the heat wave as a contributing factor.
I started reading The Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman. This is a book that has been recommended to me so many times and actually gifted to me, but I just never seemed able to start it. I have no idea why – I love lighthearted murder mysteries. The gifted book unfortunately ended up in the Friends of the Library donation pile when we did the big move purge, and so I found myself 13th in line, waiting for one of 47 digital copies of the book until my sister took pity on me and added me to her Kindle. I am enjoying this book so much; it has truly upped the fun level.
Thursday being Summer Solstice, I decided to go to the local sunset-watching park to mark the occasion. I was surprised how few people were there! The woman doing sun salutations on her yoga mat next to me also expressed this sentiment. You just can’t count on getting a decent showing for a good ol’ pagan ritual these days. (She wasn’t actually doing sun salutations, but we did have a nice chat).
I’ve been thinking a lot lately about the importance of what social scientists call “weak social ties” – those people we encounter in our lives who aren’t friends or family, but are people we have fleeting contact with on a regular basis. For me it’s the two ladies who man the front desk at the gym, another woman who I like to think of as the “mayor” of the gym, the other birders I’ve had brief conversations with in the parks I’ve visited. Several studies are out showing the importance of these casual ties, especially among older people. There’s an older gentleman I’ve seen several times at my favorite birding park and we always exchange pleasantries no more than 60 seconds in duration. He is always smiling and always a delight. But I wonder sometimes, who else does this man have in his life? Could I possibly be the only person he talks to that day? Perhaps he wonders the same about me! I do know that my day is enriched by his presence. I need to cultivate more of these ties.
Have a wonderful week, friends!
Love,
Michelle xoxo
PS. I know you’ve been waiting impatiently to hear how I did in the Finals of the Diamond Tournament:
I love the weak social ties idea, but let’s rename it. Weak sounds weak, but I think there is more nutrition there. Maybe brief? 😊
This resonates for me. When we consider that our lived experience is built largely on these small moments and interactions, it would benefit us to give them our attention.
Peace to you 😊