Coming Together
some thoughts on being with people
The final Friday in June was a lesson in community. It was the last day of the school year for my children. I walked them to school in the morning and while waiting for the bell, chatted with a couple of other parents about meeting up in the local park after school for a very informal celebration. (I say “chatted with a couple of parents” like the school pickup/drop off situation is easy and not often fraught with social awkwardness and the return of juvenile feelings of not belonging. It is all those things, which is why this Friday was so special to me.) My kids just finished grade one, and we’ve participated in this little party the last two years as well, after junior and senior kindergarten. I left school and messaged the parents in the WhatsApp groups for my children’s classes, letting them know a few of us would bring some food and drink. I also knew that some friends with kids in other grades were having a party at the park.