Big Tent

There's room inside, come on in

We have a program coming up: No shame: mental health and freedom from substances.

Sunday, May 17 @ 3 PM, Congregation Kol Rinah,

7701 Maryland Avenue, Clayton, MO 63105

Big Tent

At the meeting there was a new person at the table. I hadn’t seen him there before and I had the sense that no one else had either. He was sitting down the table toward the back of the room from me, same side.

We made the preliminaries and when it was time to share, he raised his hand early on and said, almost every morning I wake up with the thought: I’m f**ked. I woke up this morning thinking: I’m f**ked. So I googled myself (not a good idea, I heard someone mutter). I googled myself and I saw there: I’m f**ked.

I pause at a seam in this story to ask: what do you imagine the response of the group was? I estimate there were thirty people in the room, and I don’t think more than one or two people knew this person.

I was out walking later that night thinking about the meeting and I called one of the people I know who would for sure appreciate this story as I do (he lives in California). I told him the story, he listened and then I gave over the rest of the story:

The room erupted in laughter. As I told the story, I did the same, so did my friend in California. I was walking down the street and laughing deep and hearty as did the room, as did the man who none of us knew who told the story earlier that day.

Where does this happen? I ask. What kind of room listens, takes you seriously but knows that the burden that you are carrying may not be released but it doesn’t have to be so darn heavy either that you can’t laugh; and when you do laugh somehow the burden is manageable. You can carry it. Of course you who told the story understand that -- you were not looking for it to be lifted -- and that laughter is the sure sign that it is shared, understood, lightened. The point is to be out loud with our heaviness.

You can carry it.

Come to the Big Tent meeting on May 17th.