A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Quorum

"A quorum is the minimum number of members of a deliberative body necessary to conduct the business of that group. Ordinarily, this is a majority of the people expected to be there, although many bodies may have a lower or higher quorum."
-from Wikipedia

I have a confession. I have used Ravelry as a marketing tool.

Oh, the shame...

In my previous life, I was the Executive Director of an Indianapolis Arts group. (revelation by typo: Indianapolis Arts Grope. Now that is a wholly different type of organization!)

Anyway, one of the things I learned from working in the non-profit sector is:

You can't promote anything, be it a cause, a product, or an ensemble, unless they first know who you are.

So I went shopping for friends. (I really don't like that imagery; lets see if I can do better.)

I spent my weekend going out on a lot of blind dates.

Now some of you may consider that self-serving and off-putting, but a funny thing happened on the way.

I began reading the profiles, noting the ravatars, clicking on the website connections, sending private messages, adding to my friends list.

I started out eating spam (sorry, but let's call an ugly hoptoad by its true name) and I would up with something far more nourishing than I could ever have imagined. And somewhere along the line, it ceased being about me at all and became all about ...

YOU!

I am in love with all of you. (Does this mean I have to move to Utah?)

I wondered before I began surfing the site for members of the same groups I was in, if this was kosher. Or if it was a heinous misuse of modern technology. I worried that, by inviting total strangers to join the KAL, I was selling my soul to the retail devil. I felt dirty, somehow, like I was using people. I fretted over the immodesty and worried that people would feel obligated.

But the most wonderful blossoming has happened instead. People were happy to be invited. They wanted to join.

I have said "thank you" and "bless you" in Swedish, French, German, and Japanese. I have found fellow opera singers, and fellow designers, and fellow writers, and fellow lace lovers. I have seen so many funny and wonderful ravatars that I want to know the story behind each one. I have read your profiles. I have viewed your FOs.

And I want to get to know all of you. ALL - OF - YOU... (my Christmas card list is going to be a b***h next year)

We are a deliberative body. We hash out the issues of the day (if you don't believe me, check out the Big Issues Debate group.) At any given time, we can be expected to be on line and on fire with enthusiasm, or the compunction to help someone.

Our business is the furthering of our craft, the feathering of our nests and those of the people we love with beautiful soft warm things, the support of those who most need us, and the everyday weaving together of the web that connects us all. To steal a line from the ghost of Christmas Present, "Mankind is our business."

The knitting community is such a powerful force for connection. In these days of increasing isolation brought about by advancing technology, we have found a way to put our hearts where our heads are. In an age when many relationships are falling apart, we have come together in love:

• of our craft
• of our world
• of each other

And that isn't funny at all. It is inspiring.