"Two dollars." Thats one of the running storylines woven into the most underestimated John Cusak movie of the 1980's, "Better off Dead." It was also the prize for fourth place divided seven ways at the wednesday night trivia battle at Westport Flea Market. I was invited to join in the fun by my old/new friend Amy and her brother, Brian. I had not seen Brian since high school days (which is half a lifetime for us). Yet we picked right up and in the midst of trivia tension found ourselves quite at ease and enjoying each other's company. We had a solid team, and it was nice to be included in this fellowship.
We all live busy lives. Yet it is so easy, even in the bustle of a growing city to live very isolated lives. So it really feels good to make connections and find authentic friendships and to share life together. That is what "authentic community" is about--coming just as you are, sharing the path of life with others, building relationships, having permission/freedom to question, to change, to learn, to grow, to be. So many places (mostly churches) try very hard to "market" "authentic community", but I think that is a hard sell--not necessarily a dishonest attempt, for the effort is from the heart--but sometimes community "finds" you rather than the other way 'round.
I was invited to join a group of several strangers and two old/new friends. I could have stayed home and played on the Wii, or get caught up on emails, or feed the addiction to Facebook. Instead, I went to a new place and joined up with a group of people who in the midst of trivia night have found/encountered a sense of place/connection that is "community". And I was included. Thats worth more than what I invested. And hey, the $2 (half a gallon of gas) got me more than all the way home. But what will get me to go back to trivia night is the (priceless) connection with re:newed and new friends--and the sense of "common-union" that found me...
Keywords: belonging, common, community, connection, friendship, hope, include, inclusion, risk, union
