Circles

The circles. I'm sure every culture since the beginning on mankind has had circles. I'm sure I can't claim them as a southern invention, but since that's my experience, that's what I'm going with. When I was a kid, I went to these small, country churches. Between Sunday school and the service, then again after church, the men would congregate outside in a loose circle and talk. It's just what they did. There was always an opening for someone else to join, but everyone knew instinctively how close to stand to each other.  I remember how they stood. They all had the same posture, the same laid-back stance. I always thought it was fascinating to see them. The same thing would happen at family gatherings. My dad had 3 brothers. My grandfather had 4 brothers. The men would always find themselves in the circle. Multiple conversations would be going on at once, and they'd jump in and out of all of them. So if I'm ever sitting near you and suddenly jump into your conversation when I was in the middle of a different conversation with someone else, that's why.

There's really no point to this post. I just think it's a beautiful custom I've observed and now miss. I'm a little sad that my boys don't get to see and join the circles. It seemed like a sort of rite of passage for the boys. We don't live in that kind of place anymore. The churches we've visited are far too urban and busy for people to simply stand around and talk afterwards.  I wonder how much is passed down in those informal talks that will be forgotten.  The family stories, the jokes, the history of a micro world. 

Now we sit in circles and text. Somehow it just doesn't feel the same. I'm pretty sure something is lost in the translation.