Gathering

 

We gather together to…

We seem to like to gather for whatever reason.

I understand. If we group together we are less likely to be eaten by beast.

We gather to attend worship services. We feel safe to sit quietly being reaffirmed of our faith. We listen and quietly agree. We pay to be part of this club.

We gather to listen to music. Whether it is a quiet dressed up group to listen to a symphony or opera or a wild packing of drunken dancers listening to ear blasting festivals.

We gather together attend events from holiday celebrations to dog shows. We celebrate in gatherings to watch animal events from the Kentucky Derby to greyhound racing.

We gather to watch sports. We find our special fandom and take our sides to cheer whatever the game is, then celebrate our win or lost as if we had been in the mix.

We gather together for family events. A holiday or a birthday or a marriage is good excuses to gather people who have the same name.

Whenever we gather together, we eat. If in a formal dinner at a great hall or an outdoor celebration, food will be available. Do we gather at home to devour our dinner with other family members anymore?

I, for one, am not a fan of crowds. I find being amassed in a crowd of strangers uncomfortable. People smell. People get in the way. People are loud and basically disgusting.

In this day of gathering and sharing food and (if of legal age) adult libations until the arguments get excessive or the body gives out, we are thankful for one another.

Tomorrow we will gather to shop for what we don’t need and complain about the traffic and get home exhausted and ready to be alone.