A Community or a Party?
A couple of months ago, I was at a hot summer bbq. There was a bonfire going and the sun was getting low in the sky. Friends were standing around shooting the shit and grazing on garden fresh appetizers set potluck-style on outdoor picnic tables.
Me and my sweetie, Mark, in party mode
It was an ordinary occasion that felt extraordinary. Maybe it was the timing - the first bbq of the summer. Maybe it was the smell of grilling food or the tasty cocktails. Maybe it was the dirt between my toes or the hue of the sunlight or the collection of people who were milling, mingling and laughing.
Food was being brought from the grill to the tables and hungry humans started flocking. There was music playing in the background and someone was attempting to corral our attention to announce the meal “served”. Then, the music cut. All the conversations came to a halt. Diverted eyes now searched for a subject to settle on. And my boyfriend, Mark (the adorable grinning guy above), seized the silent moment with vigor (this is his way). He raised his can of beer high above his head and declared, “This isn’t a party, this is a community!”
“This isn’t a party, this is a community!”
Eyebrows raised. Giggles ensued. Making light of the semi-awkward and wonderfully spirited pronouncement, someone retorted, “That would make a great bumpersticker”. The master griller smiled, presented the beautiful bounty before us, the music started again, and we piled food on our plates.
After a few moments of inner laughter and head nodding at the enthusiastic one that I’ve chosen to partner with, the one making bumpersticker slogans at opportunistic moments in intimate settings, I realized he nailed it!
It wasn’t the sunlight or the smell of the grill. It wasn’t the dirt or the novelty of the moment. It was the people. The individuals that make up the collective. It was the community that made this evening extraordinary. Because the food, the drinks, the fire and the dirt are all interesting and special in their own right but it’s the people who gather to share them that bring the magic, that add the charm, and who are worth stopping the music to recognize. (Thanks for the reminder, Babe!)
This is exactly how I feel about you...
As the owner of Motive, this idea of "community" is a driving force. It is the reason I started Motive to begin with— to create space where humans could share meaningful time with one another just as much as they could learn and explore the ways of yoga.
In a world that feels increasingly transactional, we are preserving something special. We are a collection of individuals: teachers, students, mothers, fathers, friends, strangers. And, amidst our busy lives and unrelated agendas we gather for yoga and to share a story, an experience, a moment.... to relate.
Through this community, through acknowledgment and mutual support, we are “in” yoga. We are symbolically placing our hands together in front of our hearts and bowing in respect and recognition of those with whom we share this practice and this earth. I am so overjoyed and humbled by this, by you!
This is a community that feels like a party!
In gratitude,
