Much like money is energy, social wealth is energy, too.
Launching anything on your own can feel hard, so I find the path of least resistance is to collaborate. I wanted to organize a private family fun day, so I sent a message out to a few moms in the locale asking if anyone wanted to help. I got a message back from one mom saying, “Yes, let’s meet for a coffee to make a plan.”
Within a few days we met and decided on a location that was familiar to our kiddos and had washrooms. We looked at the weather and decided on the warmest day—less than a week away. Regarding what to bring, we decided on lawn bowls, garden games, frisbee and a ball. We would bring a few extra snacks and drinks and as many chairs as we could get our hands on.
We each sent a few messages and voilà—we created a private family fun day—with six families joining us over three hours.
We played lawn bowling and frisbee with the children when we first arrived, then they warmed up and we barely heard from them for the second half, enabling us to connect deeply with some of the wonderful families we kept meaning to do something with but never have.
I didn’t put this event on to get anything back—I needed this, just as much as the other families who came. It was fun and therapeutic, and we all went home feeling lighter and fulfilled.
Two days later, I got a call from one of the moms who attended: “Would I like a box ticket to see Bush in concert that night?” “Ummmmmmm, yes please!” And so, I went and had the time of my life, singing and dancing along with five moms and Gavin Rossdale (a few extra folks who were also there).
Would I have gotten this invite if I hadn’t put on the family fun day? Maybe, but the friend who invited me, is well connected and in demand, she has many mom friends that she could have invited, and I am still relatively new in town.
I know that organizing events can feel hard, when we are juggling all the things, but if you have an impulse, I encourage you to act! See if someone else wants to help, pick a date, location, decide what to bring and trust that it will all come together—easy peasy!
