I think I have just stumbled across a new breed of friends,
and for me it’s an interesting phenomenon – that any one of us can sign up on any
day for a course in something that interests us – an art class, pottery class,
baking or cooking class, bowling, ten-pin bowling, dog training, permaculture, gardening – any one of these hobbies or activities
will bring you into a new family of people you might otherwise never meet, and
some of them will be quiet, some reserved, some will be thoughtful, most will
be kind, and some might even be a bit evil, who knows – but there are
brotherhoods and sisterhoods out there for the choosing
Unless of course you find your greatest happiness all alone,
maybe sipping something while watching the almost instant and multiple replays
of some patriotic television sport, cricket for example
But the discovery for me, so late in life, that there are
groups of people out there who seem to be kindred souls, and likeable souls, is
a heartening one, and the common thread seems to be an activity, or interest – groups that come to mind are birders, and
fisherpeople – the birders appear to be genteel folk, happy to trudge about
with binoculars and books hanging about their moist necks. The fishing folk,
like the hunters, can include the hillbilly cousins, where atavism and hate and
the killer gene might lurk just under their skins, in their own tangle of DNA
and muscle & nerve sinew – but amongst the Philistines there are also the
nature lovers, who you might find have
trout fishing rods strapped neatly under their SUV ceiling – and I suspect
there is something common to these different groupings. Perhaps a love of nature, or an ability to
see the beauty in a sunset, or to enjoy the silence you find in the bush –
maybe they are people who have reached some kind of maturity, no longer slaves
to fashion [ok, many of them are following a kind of fashion, like the birders who
wear a lot of camo or khaki] – but that’s functional fashion, and hopefully
they don’t gaze too long at the mirror as Narcissus did... and if they do, I
don’t really care – a little self love is great
And where might I be going with all this? I’m not sure
really – I’m just trying to extract an idea , some kind of truth, maybe a
practical truth, from a recent experience that gave me much pleasure – I spent
a day in the company of relative strangers – we kept our clothes on – actually
donned a lot of protective clothing, in order to prise open wooden boxes and
steal honey from bees – it’s hot and hard work, hard on the lower back, because
it’s a concentrated effort thing – you have to
get in and get the job done, before the bees get too angry, and start
stinging, right through the white overalls – the group looked like a bunch of
Neil Armstrongs, spacemen and women in their white suits and the big headgear
with gauze, and there was much concentration, much pleasant bonding, much
pleasure in the gift of honey, some excitement at getting stung and almost
getting stung, and like most things requiring some effort, half the pleasure is
in the act of finishing up what you are doing – like when you stop hitting your
head against the proverbial brick wall...
I liked the group – all of them clear eyed, bright eyed, and
with ready smiles & humour – good hearts and good intent – and I think I’m
getting close to what I wanted to say – when you get out of that armchair, and
follow some kind of interest that brings you into a group of people who have
gathered to share their skills and interest, you are likely to be rewarded by a
good group experience, and the lingering aftertaste is a pleasant one –
something in your heart comes a bit more alive, and the world becomes a nicer
place – I could easily have given myself over to a group hug, once the bee-suit
sweat had evaporated, and it’s that feeling of cameraderie, of brotherhood,
that I’m getting to, I think – perhaps it’ in our genes – a phylogenetic DNA
memory – that need to be part of a group,
and not just any group – I don’t get the same feeling when I’m queueing in the
bank – maybe if we all spoke to each other in the bank and supermarket queues
we might find many kindred spirits hidden beneath all sorts of uniforms and
garish outfits and seemingly unfriendly
countenances.
But for me, it’s a joyful
discovery of nice people, and if you join the right group/s, it’s a
pleasant thought that you could walk into many various gatherings of people,
and have a wonderful time chatting to the different members – probably best to
avoid the Neo-Nazi’s and soccer stadium gangs, and the people who carry
switchblades and other weaponry, and new & used syringes, or those who out
of choice or laziness don’t bath very often – but apparently god smiles equally
upon them all, as you too might do on your deathbed, when everything suddenly becomes
clear and your veils are lifted – which brings me to another train of thought,
best left for another publication...
See you in a queue or a scrum somewhere J
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