Summer Social Connections

 One of my favorite parts of summertime is connecting with others. People are walking around in their neighborhoods, kids are out from school and playing in the street or going for bike rides, and new friends are made at camps, work retreats, at the beach or park, or just around in their own neighborhood. 

This summer has been especially cool as there have been some historic shared experiences in the sports world that impacted many people who are not typically sports fans (me included!) but brought together wonderful connections. Locally in NY, the Knicks winning the NBA finals was exciting for people of all ages. This was marked by midnight trips to the sporting goods store and running into friends and other families while waiting on a very long line together as well as kids staying up way past bedtime to watch and adults getting together at local restaurants or homes for watch parties. Strangers were expressing hope for wins in a certain number of games to people they saw wearing Knicks gear during the series, and conversations with new people occurred. Additionally, the US hosting the World Cup was a fun and unique experience for many. As expected, soccer fans competed for tickets for months and families wore jerseys from their favorite or home countries, which helped connect people from different backgrounds together. Many laughed and enjoyed watching videos of athletes from outside our country experience America for the first time as they tried foods (looking at you Ranch dressing!) or visited new places.  Being able to share in their experience of novelty was contagious!

These two examples represent how shared experiences can connect us, sometimes in surprising ways. Perhaps you may learn something about yourself or someone else. Maybe you discover a new joy watching sports, want to give playing a try, or you want to have more time with friends. Maybe you want to travel, learn more about other cultures, or try new foods. 

I am excited to see what other shared experiences may be occurring in the future and how we will all connect with each other.