Tribe Qwest!

Posted by tiff in Awesomequest 2011, Funschooling, Our freeplaylife | 5 comments

Remeber back in your early years, when you would go to all kinds of camps and after school activities? Art camp, drama camp, horse camp, math camp, band camp, etc. And all kinds of special interest things after school. One of my favorite things to go to after my daily routine in High School was for Amnesty International. I would sit with other like minded kids and write letters (hand write them! No computers! Or email! This was on actual paper! With actual stamps!) to various places that were violating human rights. I’d put Sting’s “Dream of the Blue Turtles” cassette into my walkman and daydream that I’d write such an amazing letter one day it would capture the attention of Bono and he’d write a song for me and let me touch his “With or Without You” styled long hair.

*sigh*

Anyhoo…back to what I was talking about.

What was I talking about?!

Oh, right. Camps. Activities. These are like modern day tribes. Places where there are groups of people sitting (playing, standing, running, drawing, etc) around with similar interests. Our parents found these places for us, and now we find them for our kids. It’s what keeps us driving around in our minivans long past the point that we want to be driving around in our minivans! Some of my best friendships happened in camps and after school groups. They were the only places where I could look around and know that I had at least one thing in common with everyone there. I didn’t feel so alone in the world. Understanding happened quicker and communication was easier with a common bond.

Then we grow up and up, get jobs, maybe get married, have kids, get a houseful of pets and things to take care of. We start worrying about how to get stains out of whites instead of finishing a water color portrait we started the day before. In the juggle to manage time and responsibilities, often the first thing to go is our own personal interests. Especially if they take money and evenings away from home. And then one day you turn around a realize that you’ve been wearing the same dirty shirt 3 days in a row and have only spoken to your kids, hubby, and goldfish in that time.

Well, no more! Awesomequest 2011 is all about reconnecting with a tribe again. People who also enjoy, support, encourage, and embrace something that is important to you! You may already be doing this if you are a part of some kind of club or grassroots gathering…something with a special interest like knitting, cooking, reading, quilting, drinking wine, running, biking, etc., etc. Mom’s Night Out is also fun! Facebooking is a fun distraction, but doesn’t count for this particular focus. It must be in person! Preferably out of your house, with just you and a sassy purse (not diaper bag!) in tow. If it’s been a few weeks since you did something like this, then call up a friend and start planning. If it’s been a few months, then take a shower, go to a store STAT, buy a new dress, and take yourself immediately out to…well….outside. Anywhere. It’s not important WHERE you go, but THAT you go. OUT!

I’m blogging this because I just got back this past weeend from Good Vibrations Unschooling Conference in San Diego, and it was such a great feeling of togetherness and awesomeness I can’t even describe it! Which isn’t going to stop me from trying…it’ll just take me another day to process it all before I summarize it.

It reinforced something I’ve been mulling about in my mind for a while. Which is…finding your voice and a place in the world takes effort. It takes focus and drive. It takes commitment and determination. And most importantly it takes a tribe! A tribe is good for inspiration, and also for celebrating who you are and what you do. A tribe is support, encouragement, and a family that you get to choose.

So get out there and start choosing! Nothing is better for getting out of a rut, reinventing yourself, starting out on a new path, and/or becoming more authentically you than surrounding yourself with a tribe of people with similar goals and interests! Tribes…not just for kids!