Shared Space
It’s been a classic July 4th holiday week here in Granville, Ohio. We shut down the main drag and host a festival every year, with games, rides, fried foods, music - the whole shebang. The event draws people from all over the area. I love the energy of it, and often find myself entranced by people watching. We humans have such range. We are all so different. The truth of this smacks me in the face when I find myself sharing space with people from outside my bubble. That bubble has shrunk considerably in the last few years.
It grew and grew after graduating high school. First were the college classmates, then the co-workers, neighbors, and the families whose children were in the same grades as ours. New nodes of social network sprouted up continuously. Since our youngest child graduated high school in 2021, the network quickly contracted. No more soccer games or choir concerts, fewer and fewer graduation parties. Fewer pets, even. (Lori and I are observing a non-replacement policy as our pets exit the stage, preparation for a future time when we can travel unfettered by pet care concerns.) Mom left us.
COVID put a rather lengthy kibosh on interaction. This probably skews my perception. But Amazon has also been a real force in reducing the amount of human interaction many of us experience. Rather than mingling with our fellow humans at brick-and-mortar retailers, we point and click on our computers, then wait for things to appear on our doorsteps. This reduction in physical interaction, coupled with the hyper-fragmentation of media…no wonder things have become so tribal, so polarized. There are fewer and fewer “water cooler” moments to unify us.
I think this is less true in the more densely populated cities - especially those with robust public transportation options. If you ride the subways of New York City, in one day you will share space with a wide array of people - spanning numerous religious faiths, political leanings, skin tones, countries of origin…people who are vastly more different than the folks walking the midway at the July 4th festival this week. Yet they seem to be more tolerant of each other. I think it is because they share space more often.
There once was a day when our elected officials were collegial with one another, at least when they weren’t debating topics on the floors of their respective legislative bodies. They were able to vigorously disagree on matters of policy, then break bread in the Capitol cafeteria, or exercise with each other in the Congressional fitness center. Not so much today…
I think we need to spend more time together. Not to necessarily hash out anything specifically. Just to be together. I’m not exactly sure how to make this happen, but it’s not hard to imagine food playing a role in whatever ideas I might muster. Let’s think on this, and then take action out in the real world.
Sunday Supper
I’ll be making this Rosemary Chicken and Peach Salad later today. These Spicy Tuna and Avocado Tostadas look amazing, too.
Sunday Music
This live performance by Norah Jones with The Handsome Band in August, 2018, is a great listen this Sunday. Enjoy!
If you know anyone who might like this essay, please share it with them.
Have a great week ahead! Offer support to others. Make good use of this day. And let me know how I can help.
Peace & Love,