Hello you fruit of the loops.

(hey Amy, did I do it right?)

I am your guest platypus Leah, the middle sister of Amy. Amy calls me a Vulcan, which I think is illogical.

I am writing this blog post a week in advance, and had a morning that exemplifies the theme I want to explore, the ‘WE’.

It is Sunday morning, and my partner Abe and I sitting in our car in an empty parking lot, wearing matching green shirts. We staring at a field covered in puddles. It is pouring rain. More and more cars show up, the teams have arrived. A few folks venture out in full rain gear and golf umbrellas, to have that essential conversation: Is the rain letting up? How deep are the puddles? Will we play? In the end, the group consensus is to cancel the game (sigh of relief). We head back home with a few teammates, have a visit and coffee, nice and dry inside.

Why the heck are we all there, ready to spend our weekend playing in the rain, in our team shirts? It’s the power of the ‘we’. I am not referring we are not amused, royal third person ‘we’. I am referring to the me with other people ‘we’. Me and my peeps.

Everyone has their own collection of ‘we’s, some transient and others very enduring and central to who we are.

Most of us have shared interested ‘we’s. People connect around the themes of sports, music, religion, global warming but also around the minutia of what floats your boat: books, pets, sewing, Minecraft, heritage tomatoes, scrabble, putting on a play, etc.    Yesterday there was a corgi Halloween party parade at the local dog park: what an awesome example of the joyful ‘we’

I’ve had a few shared-interest experiences, where the ‘we’ membership is visible and creates instant easy connections with strangers. Abe loves to wear sports paraphernalia. We were hiking off trail in northern California and suddenly heard a ‘hello Blue Jays fan” (zoom in on Abe’s Blue Jays hat). We ended up have a fun chitchat with the brother of a Blue Jays player as we enjoyed the views. Few year later we are climbing up hill in Lyon to see cathedral. When we get to the top, a random stranger leans over and says “Hi! Are you guys from Ottawa?” (zoom in on Abe’s RedBlacks shirt) – which resulted in a thirty-minute chitchat on the steps of cathedral with a retired couple who lived 2km from us.   I love these random, instant ‘we’ experiences and I think sports are very good at creating quick connections.

Another ‘we’ I’ve been thinking about are those based on proximity. I feel the ‘we’ when I walk around my neighbourhood and get lots of waves, hellos, head nods. Having a dog helps a lot with establishing a neighbourly feel on your street, though my very friendly cat Chickpea also made her mark (sneaks into people’s houses for naps). One of the neighbours included Chickpea in their family photo session. Awesome. I feel the proximity ‘we’ when I’m in the front garden or shoveling snow in the winter, I often exchange a few quick words with folks walking by. Through dozens and dozens of very short encounters with neighbours, I feel a connection with those who lived around me, feel the ‘we’.

There is also the mostly undefined, transient ‘we’. A few weeks ago, I was running to catch the train, and just slipped into the last spot as the doors closed. When I looked around there was a sea of smiling faces and I felt the warmth of the group. They made me feel like my fellow train takers watched me running down the stairs and were silently cheering me on – I sensed the high five sentiment. At the next stop, most people got off and that temporary ‘we’ was dissolved.

There are elements of ‘we’ that are not joy inducing, in particular when ‘we’ attack ‘they’. The recent federal election is a great example of potential division nature of ‘we’.   How do we merge we’s and they’s into one group? I have no idea, but I think it’s something we’ll need to figure out soon.

So this week let’s reflect on all the joyful ‘we’s that make your life interesting and engaging.

What are your main ‘we’s that bring you joy and energy?

What is new ‘we’ you can form this year? Are there new areas you’d like to explore and new connections you’d like to make? Are there ways to broaden who is a member of your ‘we’s?

Thanks to EP for the chance to explore the ‘we’ and celebrate the ways that people around me enrich my life.   I love wearing coordinated clothes with a group of friends, especially when we go out afterwards.   We could change but instead we sit around in our sweaty team t-shirts, making the ‘we’ last a little longer.

If you want to become a larger ‘we’ at home, why not adopt a cat? Too much? Relax your mind with this video of the Flight of the Bumblebee – the animation showing the keys played blows my mind.

Onto the next guest contributor!

Until next Sunday,
Leah, the GUEST Earnest Platypus

"We" are the champions! (GUEST BLOG)

Hello you fruit of the loops.