We had so much fun as last week’s Winter Gathering in NYC. Over 170 returning and new parents joined us for some bowling, laughing, fun and connection.
That last word is important, especially given what has transpired in our world for the past few years. During the Summer of 2020, the vast majority of us lived very separate lives – something that really has never been done in our modern era. We lost a bit of the connection that makes us who we are.
A Dawg Lesson
No surprise considering where I grew up and spent some time at school, but I’m happy the Georgia Bulldawgs won (another) national championship this past week. I happened to watch a ‘pump up’ video from the team with Coach Smart talking with the locker room. What was the theme?
Connection. Togetherness. One plus one = three. The love for each other. The sacrifice and support for each other.
That’s the secret sauce that takes a (whole lot) of great individual athletes and turns them into an incredible team. Connection. That’s the antidote to being alone, on an island: developing a group of people around you with whom you connect completely.
A Tree Lesson
I learned something else about connection this past week. Did you know the redwoods found in California, the largest living things on planet Earth, have very shallow root systems? You’d think, like the skyscrapers we build, their foundations, their roots would dive deep into the earth.
Instead, the roots of the redwoods spread out. They overlap one another. The literally connect into to grow taller, to become something no one has seen before. There it is again:
Connection. Togetherness. One plus one = three. The love for each other. The sacrifice and support for each other.
Thank you, Dr. King
This being the weekend we commemorate Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s life, I’d be remiss to not bring up one of his powerful and important quotes:
“We must learn to live together as brothers or we will perish together as fools.”
MLK
He’s right, you now. And, it’s a forward-thinking statement. Yes, there have been troubles in our past. That does not mean the future has to be the same. In order to grow, to build… we have to come together.
Connection. Togetherness. One plus one = three. The love for each other. The sacrifice and support for each other.
I hope y’all have a great weekend. Make sure to connect to those around you and even those who are not. It’ll make their day… and your own.
