Shifting Gears: Finding Energy through Reengagement
FORWARD: SOCIABILITY WAS AN ONLINE MAGAZINE DEDICATED TO “LIVING GENEROUSLY AND SERVING JOYFULLY.”
AN IDEA BORN DURING THE THROES OF COVID, SOCIABILITY CAME TO LIFE THROUGH MY FRIENDSHIP WITH TONY RUTIGLIANO. WITH TONY AS THE PUBLISHER AND ME AS EXECUTIVE EDITOR, WE LAUNCHED SOCIABILITY AS A DIFFERENT KIND OF ONLINE MAGAZINE. WE RECRUITED FRIENDS, FRIENDS OF FRIENDS, AND STRANGERS WHO BECAME FRIENDS TO WRITE STORIES ABOUT THEIR LIVES AND TO SERVE ON OUR BOARD. EVERYONE WAS A VOLUNTEER. IT WAS A MAGAZINE FULL OF WAYS THAT PEOPLE ARE KIND TO ONE ANOTHER. OUR CONTRIBUTORS AND I SHARED STORIES OF FRESH AIR AND DOGS, LOOKING BACK AND LOOKING AHEAD, LOVING PEOPLE JUST AS THEY ARE (INCLUDING YOURSELF), SHARING ONE’S TALENTS AND ENTHUSIASM WITH OTHERS, DADS SPENDING TIME WITH DAUGHTERS, MOMS SUPPORTING ONE ANOTHER, AND BAKING REALLY GOOD CAKE. FOR ME, THE EXPERIENCE OF WORKING WITH OUR CONTRIBUTORS WAS EXTRAORDINARY.
THE MAGAZINE EXISTED FROM NOVEMBER 2020 - MAY 2022. WE STILL SEE LITTLE GLIMMERS OF ITS IMPACT TODAY, WHICH SAYS TO US THAT SOCIABILITY LIVED A GOOD LIFE. THAT’S ABOUT THE BEST THING YOU CAN SAY ABOUT SOMEONE OR SOMETHING WHEN YOU SAY GOOD-BYE.
HERE’S ONE OF MY STORIES, ORIGINALLY WRITTEN FOR SOCIABILITY AND NOW RETURNED TO ME TO SHARE WITH YOU.
3…2…1… happy new year!
One day in early December, my nephew and I were catching up by text. Since the fall, health problems had kept him from doing what he loves to do: all-terrain cycling. Although he was on the mend, he made a comment to me that stuck.
“I’m gonna coast til 2022.”
Many people I know, including me, felt this way toward the end of 2021. There was an insidious uneasiness throughout the year that had taken its toll. Were we all processing the burdens of the past, or were we waiting for another shoe to drop? Either way, it sure would be nice to just coast.
In fact, I’m here to advocate for coasting from time to time. Because coasting isn’t sitting still. It’s forward motion. Effortless progress. Most importantly, coasting can allow you time to rebuild energy so you can start pedaling again. Like the relationship between potential and kinetic energy: within movement there’s potential, and within potential there is movement.
When the time comes to reengage the gears and start pedaling, as it invariably does, there is one sure way I know to pick up speed. Get involved in something you care about with people who care about it, too. When you’re in community with good people, a divine power can lead to great things. Sometimes the greatness is obvious, like building a Habitat for Humanity home. Sometimes the greatness is feelings of connection and positivity. Sometimes the greatness isn’t apparent until enough time passes that you can look back and see it.
Whether or not you typically make New Year’s resolutions, this year we invite you to resolve to reengage. Pick a thing that really matters to you, then dig a little deeper. Find others who care about that same thing but maybe in a way that’s different than you. Dig a little deeper there, too. Because when you dig a little deeper, you might just discover something beautiful.
Photo: stock photo