A Place for Us

I had a good talk today with another Boomer about community. She told me her fantasy was having a social club, a place to go on Saturday nights to listen to live music, talk with friends, have some food, maybe dance a bit. We thought the club could also be a place to meet for coffee or tea during the week, hang out in comfortable couches and just talk.

My parents had a place like that - their country club. My Mom met her friends for golf or lunch or, if it rained, a bridge game. My Dad played golf all summer and cards in the "19th hole" in the winter, until it was time to pack up for a couple of months in Florida. All of their friends did the same thing. They had a lively social life in their 50's and 60's, mostly centered around golf and some travel. But it was full of friends and laughs. They always had time for fun.

I have to confess to being jealous of that time in their lives. My husband and I don't play enough golf to justify joining a golf club and there isn't any other organized social setting for us. We seem to have to book a night out with our friends weeks ahead of time. Everyone is so busy.

Has work been so central to all of our lives that we don't know how to make room for other things? If we had a social club, we would be too busy to show up?