Community, Part II

In my last post I mentioned my local coffee shop, Farm Girl. It's such a magical place! The day I mentioned had an extra dose of magic in it!

I had stopped in late in the day to follow up about a goodie package I had ordered. Did I mention that they have amazing pastries? I digress... They let me in even though they were trying to close up for the day. As often happens I was chatting away and folks wandered in off the street. In true smalltown fashion they were welcomed in rather than turned away. The pair were a mom and her adult child who had come through our little place whilst avoiding the highway summer traffic.

Because I am who I am, and because I do what I do, I stopped to chat with them after leaving the cafe. They were so delightful. We (the moms) talked about our changing careers later in life, and (the kids) being at university. The kiddo, as it happens, goes to the same university as my son. It truly is a small world.

I don't know what this says about me, but the biggest motivator for me to engage with this wonderful pair was that the young person was "visibly queer." I have to ponder that for a while because I'm not sure how that sits with the equity part of my brain. I made assumptions about the young person because of their appearance, and I feel ambivalent about it.

It was a wonderful chat, and the mom thanked me for speaking with them. For her, I became part of her community of "parents of queer kids." I hope for her child they felt seen and welcome in my hometown.

At the end of the day I believe the more we reach out to one another, the more vulnerable we are with each other, the more we share our experiences, the more joy we put out into the world, the safer and happier our communities, however big or small, will be.