About 4 years ago I helped start up a book club with a group of "internet friends" that I barely knew a thing about except for what vendors they used for their weddings and what information was shared about ourselves in random 'conversations' we exchanged on a local chat board.
We committed to meeting once a month. Over food and drinks we'd gather at one of our homes, most often on a Sunday evening, for indepth conversations about the book we just read. Those first few month were awkward. Barely knowing eachother, I think we spent an equal amount of our night together actually discussing the book, which is what we were there for, and also sitting in awkward silence deciding what else we could say.
We had a few 'members' who have come and gone, though now I couldn't tell you where most of them are, or even a few of their names. And so our little group became a close-knit group of six who over the years have gone from perfect stangers to real-life friends.
Now when we meet on a Sunday night we're lucky if half of us have actually read the book. But that doesn't stop us from gathering together.
We started out as a group of newlywed women with all the time in the world to devote to reading our books and spending an entire Sunday evening together laughing and having a good time. As the years have gone by, most of us have found ourselves struggling to finish a book, or even starting it for that matter, because for some of us our newlywed days have turned into parenting days. And kids don't quite often let you sneak away for a day to yourself to sit and read your book.
Many times we'd show up to meet only to find out not a single one of us had even opened the book, or that only a few of us were able make it. Sometimes we'd go months without meeting at all. Maybe for most people this would have signified the end, but for us it seemed to bring us closer together. If we hadn't read the book, we passed the time talking about various other things in our lives; Our homes, our kids, our husbands and even our jobs. In fact even if we did read the book, we found ourselves spending the whole time talking about those other things anyway.
We started to use the term 'Book Club' very loosely. My husband would say "is that what you're still calling it?" when I'd announce I was hosting my friends on an upcoming Sunday night. To him it was more of an excuse to have friends over, or to sneak off to meet them someplace else. And when we'd mention our little club in front of others, they instant became curious of what we read and when we met, and I think alot of times we found ourselves reluctant to give out information or let them in on our little secret. Not that we wouldn't have enjoyed their company, the more the merrier as they say, but more for the fact that we had become so used to it being just us and we were content with the way things were.
We have become somewhat of a support group to eachother. A place to vent our frustrations and also to share our joys. Although we do still make an honest attempt to read a book and be present together on Sunday night, we do spend a good part of our time together catching up on our lives and truly enjoying our time together. Gone are the days of awkward silence. They have been replaced with constant laughter and innocent banter. Hopefully for years to come.
15 years ago
