Ep.02: Belonging Exchange Conversations: Creating Unity at The Trifling Picnic
Welcome to Ep.02: “Belonging Exchange Conversations”
In this second installment of our three-part series introducing the enriching work of the Belonging Exchange, we delve into the conversations and experiences from the Trifling Picnic held in Bloomington, Indiana. Hosted by Phil and Elaine Amerson. This episode (Ep.02) features an illuminating discussion with an eclectic array of guests.
**Event Overview:**
The Trifling Picnic, organized by Phil and Elaine Amerson, brought together individuals from vastly diverse backgrounds and faith-based communities for an afternoon of genuine fellowship and interaction. The event's main focus was to create an environment where people could connect, share their stories, and exchange ideas to foster a sense of community and collective growth. The Belonging Exchange aspires to make everyone feel that they belong and can contribute meaningfully to society.
**Key Takeaways:**
1. **Value of Diverse Communities:**
The gathering showcased beautifully how bringing together people from different walks of life can lead to meaningful conversations and collaborations. A Bloomington city council member emphasized that diversity, coupled with fearlessness, is crucial for community progress. By sharing various perspectives, participants gained a deeper understanding of communal problems and the potential for collective action.
2. **Music as a Unifying Force:**
Vince Matthew graced the event with his musical compositions, embodying the spirit of collaboration and harmony. Music, in this context, served as a powerful medium to symbolize and foster unity among the diverse attendees.
3. **Intentional Community Building:**
The conversations stressed the importance of building intentional communities to address pressing issues like food deserts in urban settings. By aligning love and action, communities can overcome fear and nurture a harmonious environment where everyone thrives.
4. **Importance of Individual Gifts:**
The guests highlighted how every individual has unique talents and perspectives that can contribute to the greater good. Breaking out of segregated communities to form creative and inclusive networks was discussed as a vital step towards societal betterment. Many guests touched on the need for understanding and leveraging different perspectives to solve community problems effectively.
5. **Impact on Family and City Dynamics:**
The conversations revealed how events like the Trifling Picnic significantly impact family dynamics and the community at large. The inclusion of missionaries, political candidates, council persons, and long-term residents of Bloomington underscored the multifaceted approach needed to promote holistic community welfare.
**Conclusion:**
The episode is a heartfelt reminder of the power of human connection and the positive ripple effect such gatherings can have on the community.
listeners are invited explore the work of the Belonging Exchange via their website.
https://belongingexchange.org/
This was episode two of a three part limited series “Belonging Exchange Conversations”
Part 01 was an introduction to the vision that Phil and Elaine Amerson have for the the Belonging Exchange
Please tune into Ep.03 the final part of this limited series as Belonging Exchange Conversations will conclude with interviews with an Indiana University Professor and a Habitat for Humanity Home recipient among others.
Transcript
Hello, good people. My name is doctor Brad Miller, and you are listening to
Speaker:the Belonging Exchange Conversations.
Speaker:Yes. A short series of 3 podcast episodes to
Speaker:introduce you to the work of the Belonging
Speaker:Exchange founded by the Phil and Elaine
Speaker:Angerson Family Foundation, which is all
Speaker:about helping people meet
Speaker:new people, discovering friends,
Speaker:just meeting strangers and making them friends, and
Speaker:to get people connected, to be encouraged, to learn, to laugh,
Speaker:to engage, and to meet at least 2 new people
Speaker:that they didn't know before. The event was
Speaker:called the trifling picnic held on August 4,
Speaker:2024 in Bloomington, Indiana. And this is the
Speaker:second of a 3 part series of podcast episodes of
Speaker:conversations with the folks who were participants in
Speaker:the belonging exchange picnic. In this episode,
Speaker:they include conversations with a missionary, political candidates,
Speaker:personal friends of Phil and Elaine Ampersand,
Speaker:pastors and retired pastors, the son and daughter of Phil and
Speaker:Elaine, the city council person, and a musician,
Speaker:Vincent Matthew, who composed and performed the music you
Speaker:hear on this podcast. If you missed episode number
Speaker:1, we encourage you to go back and listen to that episode as it gives
Speaker:you a good foundation and understanding of what the belonging
Speaker:exchange is all about. And then we encourage you to listen to
Speaker:episode number 3, which will be a continuation
Speaker:of these conversations. You're gonna enjoy this. You're gonna love this,
Speaker:and you're gonna learn what it means to be part of a group of
Speaker:people that belong to one another. So let's get
Speaker:started.
Speaker:Tom Heaton from Evansville, Indiana now. Kind of a citizen of the
Speaker:world sometimes, but Evansville's home. And, again, Phil
Speaker:and Elaine Amerson have been great friends for many, many years. And,
Speaker:just here today to to, support them and their efforts
Speaker:to support the Bloomington community and to encourage all of us to go back
Speaker:to our own communities and form better friendships and better relationships
Speaker:with those that are not like us so that we can better understand the world
Speaker:around us. And those are not like us is a big part of what you've
Speaker:been about, kind of understanding different cultures, different aspects of
Speaker:life, and working together in community. What do you think is the
Speaker:value then of different groups that are here, civic groups, faith
Speaker:based groups, community services? What's
Speaker:the value of these different groups coming together to do something good? Well,
Speaker:you know, I think the biggest thing to, from today I'm kinda looking at Diane
Speaker:as I'm talking to you to see if she agrees with me. We've
Speaker:only been here for just a little bit, kind of talking and sharing.
Speaker:But what we've really been doing is we've been hearing stories. We've been
Speaker:hearing people's stories. And, it is through hearing people's stories and realizing
Speaker:everybody's story isn't like our story, that we begin to have a better and
Speaker:deeper understanding of the world around us. So I think there's power in story
Speaker:and power in sharing stories, and those can bring about, change in a
Speaker:powerful and amazing way.
Speaker:I'm Adrienne Rockhill, and I am,
Speaker:or ordained elder, a pastor in the United Methodist Church serving at Old
Speaker:Bethel on the east side. But we live in Bloomington area.
Speaker:And, you know, honestly, they'll send us an invite, and
Speaker:I thought this sounds amazing. And when I saw that
Speaker:Shauna Murphy and Diamon were on the the the list to
Speaker:speak, I was sold. So I I think it's fantastic. I had
Speaker:no idea that he does this every year, but it's Yeah. Beautiful. What's up? Let
Speaker:me ask you first, Adrianne, about some
Speaker:specific things here, then I'm gonna get get to you just a second here. What
Speaker:do you think is the value of getting do diverse
Speaker:groups together, like faith based groups, civic groups,
Speaker:business interests, and so on, social services, what have
Speaker:you, in order to do something like just rub shoulders together to do something for
Speaker:the greater good? What do you think is the the value of that? Well, I
Speaker:think, when we're advocating for and trying to
Speaker:promote change, in the church, the way we do that is together,
Speaker:across all of those different areas that you just mentioned,
Speaker:in the community, and that's how we work towards that. And I
Speaker:think sometimes the church gets a little too walled off. And so that's one of
Speaker:the ways we get outside of our walls. One of the ways we
Speaker:hear stories. Honestly, one of the ways we
Speaker:find our place as a church, in that wider
Speaker:picture is by hearing and and knowing our community. And I think
Speaker:that's been really eye opening. With him running for
Speaker:office this year Yeah. Is, that's one of the
Speaker:things that I've gotten from that is Yeah.
Speaker:Is all these political but then it's been eye opening to see,
Speaker:like, just so many good people that are working towards change. Sure.
Speaker:Well, let's let's talk about that then in terms of the application
Speaker:of an event like this, getting these diverse groups together. Yeah. How
Speaker:does it apply then to, civic responsibility,
Speaker:to the political systems, how there could be some good done moving
Speaker:forward? And that kinda goes to, you know, why you were running for office
Speaker:in terms of, doing whatever you think needs to be done. Yeah. Certainly.
Speaker:So I think the the the common good is the common thread. We're all here
Speaker:seeking the common good, trying to make life better for everybody in the
Speaker:spheres of influence that we have. And I think the more we can
Speaker:synergize in those efforts, I'm running
Speaker:for office out of the realization that, charity will
Speaker:never fully fix what policy creates. Charity is not a solution
Speaker:for injustice, but charity and generosity are always necessary. And the more we can
Speaker:come together and imagine a better future and share
Speaker:ideas with people who are different from us, who have different gifts and experiences and
Speaker:backgrounds and connections, the more we can work together, to serve the
Speaker:common good. So perhaps charity and policy do not,
Speaker:policy do not have to be kind of separate or even at odds at
Speaker:times. They can work together. Absolutely. I tell people, you know,
Speaker:politics often is treated like a dirty word and I understand why, but I think
Speaker:politics at its best is the way that we love our neighbor in the public
Speaker:square. Sure. It comes from the Greek word, you know, that essentially means
Speaker:life together in the city. And that's how we affect one
Speaker:another's lives, how our lives intersect, and, at its best can be the
Speaker:way that everything comes together and we administratively,
Speaker:enact the the will of the the people. Oh, very good. Thanks for sharing both
Speaker:of you one more time. Tell us your name, where you're from, and what you
Speaker:your ministry, and I'll get to you. Absolutely. I'm,
Speaker:Adrian Rockhill. I am living in Bloomington, serving on
Speaker:the east side of Indianapolis at Old Bethel United Methodist Church as an ordained
Speaker:pastor, and, just here to be part of this incredible
Speaker:group and get to know some new people and hear some stories.
Speaker:Tell us one more time your name and a little bit about the office
Speaker:you're running for and what's what's that's all about. Sure. Yeah. So I'm Thomas Horrocks.
Speaker:I'm a pastor of Beachwood Christian Church down in French Lick, Indiana. I'm
Speaker:also running for, state representative for House District 62, which
Speaker:is Monroe and Brown County, one of the most competitive legislative races
Speaker:in Indiana that's here.
Speaker:My name is Cindy O'Connor, and I've lived here in Bloomington
Speaker:for the last almost 48
Speaker:years, but I grew up near Brad in Gibson
Speaker:County, a little tiny place named Owensville. Owensville. I'm
Speaker:originally from Princeton right nearby. So how about that? Small world.
Speaker:Small world. World. That's true. What brings you here
Speaker:today, and what do you see as the reason this
Speaker:event exists? Because of felony lane.
Speaker:We love felony lane because when they came to the
Speaker:church, our kids were just at the age
Speaker:where they loved them as
Speaker:much as we did. Our kids Tim was in middle school.
Speaker:Phil said he might never do another class of the
Speaker:middle schoolers after Tim O'Connor, but he survived.
Speaker:Both of them did. He survived. So this particular event
Speaker:we're at today is called the trifling picnic and
Speaker:belonging exchange. Yeah. You're here
Speaker:and there's a lot of folks here from different backgrounds, different
Speaker:social groups and faith communities and
Speaker:civic organizations. What do you think is the meaningfulness
Speaker:or the purpose of bringing people together from diverse groups
Speaker:to do some good for the community? What's Absolutely. And that's what,
Speaker:you know, I think while Phil was our faith leader
Speaker:at First Church, those of us who were lucky enough to be
Speaker:there kinda leaned on him for these kind of
Speaker:things. And now as we just continue as friends,
Speaker:I think still Phil Phil and Elaine are leaders for us
Speaker:in all kinds of social event,
Speaker:social justice event Right. Kind of things. So do you think
Speaker:that this is the type of thing that may lead to other types
Speaker:of it's on educational or Sure. Application.
Speaker:You know, we've heard about Habitat for Humanity, for instance. Do you think when people
Speaker:come together with diverse backgrounds, it can help to be applied to the
Speaker:practical matters that need to be addressed? Oh, I do, Brad. I think
Speaker:that's really and that's what's so great about being here and being
Speaker:with friends and people we don't know, but, you know, we leave
Speaker:as friends.
Speaker:Drew Amerson, from Oakland, California. I'm the son of
Speaker:Filmy Lane, and I am here with my son today. We
Speaker:flew out a couple days ago to be part of this trifling
Speaker:picnic. Trifling picnic. And what and what's tell us your name, where you're from, and
Speaker:what you're from. Anne Murray, and I am the daughter of Phil and Elaine. I
Speaker:am here with my 2 boys, Colin, who's 21, and Zach,
Speaker:who's 15. We're here to gather
Speaker:and be with good friends. Yeah. Meet new friends. Tell me
Speaker:what from your perspective, because it's mentioned as a family
Speaker:project. It's been mentioned a couple of times that way. Yeah. How do you see
Speaker:that, playing out, not only your family
Speaker:dynamic, but how there's impact here in this community and other
Speaker:communities you've been a part of? Yeah. I think the purpose of
Speaker:the Belonging Foundation or the the
Speaker:what do you call it? The Belonging, I'm sorry. Sure. Belonging foundation. Belonging.
Speaker:Yeah. Is that we need
Speaker:more human connection these days, and our world with social
Speaker:media and feeling really disconnected. Having connections
Speaker:with real people in the flesh and meeting people that you
Speaker:can make connections with is what is
Speaker:desperately needed in this event is part of supporting that.
Speaker:Yeah. And what do you see as the value then of this connection
Speaker:that your folks, Phil and Elaine, put together and kind of
Speaker:your legacy? And I know your kids were part of it as well, about some
Speaker:of them. What do you think is the value of people from all these different
Speaker:kind of walks of life? You know, politically, socially,
Speaker:ethnically, civic, faith based? What's the
Speaker:value of all that coming together to do something for the greater good? Sure. So,
Speaker:you know, Elaine and Phil dedicated their lives to this idea of
Speaker:community and been really intentional about trying to
Speaker:develop that community. And I think this is just a natural extension of that.
Speaker:But the cool thing about this is my parents have always
Speaker:been pretty high strung. Is that fair to say?
Speaker:And I think that in their retirement, they've been able to take a step back.
Speaker:And this is a really nice easy way to bring in a
Speaker:whole bunch of different folks who otherwise wouldn't get a chance to know each other
Speaker:and to build those networks and those connections between these people. So
Speaker:it's it's really fun to see. Yeah. That's a good one more thing. How is
Speaker:this why do you think this is meaningful to your family as a
Speaker:part of just who you are as a family? Yeah. I mean, this is an
Speaker:an important piece of, what our family
Speaker:and and what we what we care about. We care about connections. We care
Speaker:about community. We care about making a better place. We're doing all the good
Speaker:we can.
Speaker:My name is Isaac Asari. I'm a city councilor here,
Speaker:in Bloomington. I'm here because, anytime that, you
Speaker:know, pastor Emerson invites you to go places, you go.
Speaker:No. But on the on the serious note, you know, the the
Speaker:greatest part of this city, are the people in it
Speaker:and, the opportunity really to connect with people on a human level and
Speaker:to, think about our boldest ideas for
Speaker:the future and to work together and in harmony, to
Speaker:to make the city everything that we imagine it to be, that we want it
Speaker:to be, to really become the community that we deserve to
Speaker:be. So I just love those opportunities. So you mentioned a couple of things there,
Speaker:boldness and harmony on our financing. What do you think is the value
Speaker:of an event such as this which brings together people with
Speaker:diverse backgrounds? Might be politically. It might be
Speaker:religiously. It might be in the business interest, civic,
Speaker:other, social organizations. What's the value of bringing
Speaker:those folks together to, kind of rub shoulders together, get to know
Speaker:one another in order to see what's next, see what's good. What's
Speaker:the value of that? I mean, you know, the apostle Paul said it this way.
Speaker:He said we can't all be an eye. He said if we all were an
Speaker:eye, you know, where would the walking go or where the smelling go and you
Speaker:you name it. And so for a body to function, and we can think of
Speaker:our community as a body, if our body is to function, you
Speaker:need the diversity of parts. Right? Yeah. And, and so if we're
Speaker:going to move in any direction, you know, it's gonna it's gonna
Speaker:require working together. And so, you know, I I think it
Speaker:and that you you you I I did mention though the word boldness. I think
Speaker:that it takes a element of
Speaker:fearlessness of of willingness to actually take
Speaker:steps forward. I think that, you know, fear,
Speaker:fear of the unknown, fear of, Fear of the other. Fear of the
Speaker:other. That's right. Fear of just, fear of loss,
Speaker:fear sometimes even of success, is is something
Speaker:that often captivates and keeps us from moving forward. But, but
Speaker:love, which I in my mind is the opposite of fear because Yeah. Perfect
Speaker:love cast out fear. And so when I think about operating in
Speaker:love, love liberates, love, you know, love
Speaker:hopes, love expects, love works together, you name it.
Speaker:And it's it's you say all those kind of good good stuff. Right. But
Speaker:those things need an environment Yes. To live in. Yes. And
Speaker:it takes some and it I'm I believe some intentionality to do
Speaker:that. Mhmm. And this seems to be the type of event that could
Speaker:be that environment where some of these things you're mentioning, harmony, love,
Speaker:boldness, and come together. And perhaps even from
Speaker:your civic mindedness lead to some other practical application.
Speaker:Yes. You see that as a possibility at least how something like this can lead
Speaker:to oh, we've heard about Habitat for Humanity. Other things such as that
Speaker:practical application of that love of ownership. Yeah. I mean, right
Speaker:realistically, right now, just before you asked me to be here, I was speaking to
Speaker:somebody about how do we apply some of the, you know, nice
Speaker:intentions that we're talking about here Right. In practice in the city. I
Speaker:think that that sort of
Speaker:I don't know the best way to say this, but, the information,
Speaker:the symmetry in in town often makes it very difficult for
Speaker:us to carry out our good intentions. And what I mean by that is that
Speaker:we don't always see the every part of the city the same
Speaker:way, but we have to be intentional about building communities so that we can get
Speaker:a better picture of the city that we live in so that we can get
Speaker:a better picture of the actions that we need to take. Yeah. So these diverse
Speaker:parts working together for a greater good. Well, that's right. That's right. That's right. That's
Speaker:right. But I mean, I think from the from my perspective on council, I was
Speaker:just talking to, a neighbor living in Crestmont.
Speaker:And, you know, we're talking about how through this whole year, nobody has brought
Speaker:up or body has brought up or done any work about,
Speaker:the food desert that existed there, and that's been a situation for 20 plus
Speaker:years. Yeah. And we started to talk about and actually strategize about how do we
Speaker:make sure that this is on the agenda and stays on the agenda. Sure. You
Speaker:know, what are actual what are some legislation that we can start to draft and
Speaker:put forward, to make a difference? And that's just, you know, a very as a
Speaker:chance Encouraged, we both happen to be here, but in talking about
Speaker:imagination and talking about building community, that means, okay, like, let's do something
Speaker:about it. Right? And what's within our sphere of influence? Serendipitous moments can lead
Speaker:to future self. Yeah. That's exactly right. So but but but this and as much
Speaker:as we say it's serendipitous, this wasn't this wasn't random. No. I appreciate it.
Speaker:Intentional. Right? And so so more of this, please.
Speaker:My name is Ruth. I I live in Bloomington, Indiana, and I am
Speaker:here because my husband, Vaughn, got an invitation from
Speaker:Phil to come, and it sounded like a great event. Awesome.
Speaker:So fill down the blanks there. Your your name and why you're
Speaker:here, you know, a little more about that. Yeah. So I'm
Speaker:Vaughn. I grew up here in Bloomington, Indiana. And
Speaker:I've had the pleasure to work with Phil for the past year
Speaker:on facilitating the new Beacon Center that we are
Speaker:building. And Phil has just been amazing to watch
Speaker:as he reaches out and pulls together the faith based communities
Speaker:in town to help them figure out what is their role
Speaker:in bolstering this important community resource that Beacon
Speaker:provides in helping us transition this new center
Speaker:over to its, new location over on Third Street. So
Speaker:it's just been a pleasure to get to know him some and I was honored
Speaker:to come here today, hear more about watching
Speaker:him weave the community together and some of the great speakers
Speaker:telling their story about community engagement. Yeah. Well, it sounds
Speaker:like what you're working on is kind of a manifestation of some of the vision
Speaker:that, Phil and Elaine have about taking the
Speaker:belonging piece and exchanging it for
Speaker:some sort of a greater good. Am am I on target here at all with
Speaker:what you're what we're talking about here? I think so, and
Speaker:I think, definitely since I've
Speaker:retired and have more time and just trying to find
Speaker:ways to find belonging in the community
Speaker:and to I we moved back here in 2011 and
Speaker:to really make connections and see how
Speaker:we can make the community stronger. Yeah. So, Von, what do
Speaker:you think then is the value then of bringing these diverse groups
Speaker:together for civic groups, faith based,
Speaker:community organizers, business interests, so so on, to do
Speaker:something for the greater good. What's the value of bringing it all together in a
Speaker:kind of a social setting like this? Yeah. Well, I I really like the message
Speaker:we heard from Shauna this evening about listening.
Speaker:And we need you know, it's it's easy for
Speaker:those of us who if if I if I give say I
Speaker:have the privilege of having a gift, it's so easy to just run out there
Speaker:with that hammer and start looking for nails. And with all
Speaker:the different perspectives we have in this room, you know, the problems we're
Speaker:we're facing today are complicated. They're wish it was
Speaker:so easy that we could, you know, do them in an afternoon just working by
Speaker:our selves, but they're not. It's a community problem and we need to understand
Speaker:all the facets of the problem, all the different aspects of the
Speaker:challenges that people are going through, and all the different ways that
Speaker:we bring the different gifts together and we can weave those together to
Speaker:form a solution. And so a situation like this with
Speaker:a different perspective is just really valuable for that. Hopefully, it helps to
Speaker:raise raise the greater good for everybody. Right?
Speaker:I think so. I definitely think so. And I think as was
Speaker:emphasized with the musical instruments, we all have gifts. That was pretty cool
Speaker:one. It was really cool. Yeah. And it was like, which one am I? And,
Speaker:you know, playing together and the different sounds. And I think,
Speaker:we do increasingly segregate ourselves and our
Speaker:communities and think we need to get past that
Speaker:and and be creative together.
Speaker:I'm Tony Alstott and, connected to,
Speaker:Phil and Elaine Amerson, through The United Methodist
Speaker:Church. And then what do you see and where do you live in
Speaker:right now? My wife and I came up together. We live
Speaker:in New Albany, Indiana, and I serve Wesley Chapel United United
Speaker:Methodist Church. Very good. Well, tell me, what do you think is the value
Speaker:of an event like this which brings people together from diverse
Speaker:backgrounds, kind of faith based communities, civic organizations,
Speaker:other organizations. What's the value of bringing people together to do something good? Yeah. So,
Speaker:so so Phil has, quite a sense of humor using the word
Speaker:trifling, a trifling party. Played off,
Speaker:John Wesley. Let's not trifle about. And,
Speaker:so, he's invited us several years. We came,
Speaker:we came several years ago and just found the communication
Speaker:with people, conversation with people from all over the state of
Speaker:Indiana, to be to be wonderful,
Speaker:actually, and, get ideas, see what people are doing,
Speaker:especially some resources along the way. But but mainly
Speaker:just just to interact with folks outside of your local
Speaker:congregation. Do you think there's some values of energy in that that can be used
Speaker:to do practical application either in ministry or
Speaker:some ways to improve the community? Well, certainly,
Speaker:that, involvement is is here to take take ideas
Speaker:back. I mean, we've already had a a great presentation. I really liked,
Speaker:the idea of currency being, interaction
Speaker:and friendships, how that's a currency as opposed to a
Speaker:monetary currency. And so this is
Speaker:an opportunity to, gain currency in
Speaker:relationships. And I don't mean that as in using
Speaker:people, but just in genuine, genuine fellowship
Speaker:and friendships. So is it like because the embodiment of the blessed
Speaker:community kind of a biblical sense, I believe. Do you think it is has
Speaker:some some bringing of that? Yes. Absolutely.
Speaker:Coming together and, you know, don't don't feel any
Speaker:any pressure to be, on display as a lot of
Speaker:pastors do, so to speak. Anytime I I go somewhere or go out to
Speaker:eat, I'm always mindful of who might be there. And,
Speaker:in this community, I feel like you can be completely yourself
Speaker:and, just have a an enjoyable day
Speaker:together.
Speaker:My name is Vince Matthew, and I'm
Speaker:here because I was invited by Phil and, the
Speaker:other director, Rick Morgenstern.
Speaker:And, yeah, that's why I'm here.
Speaker:They invited me into the space to create something.
Speaker:Well and you were a part of the music Yes. Here
Speaker:to create something. Yes. So we
Speaker:got a little bit of video of that, but I think the vibe in the
Speaker:room was such I really would like you to unpack that
Speaker:experience, that musical experience, how it kinda went along with the
Speaker:theme here of bringing diverse
Speaker:folks together to collaborate in something new. Can you just unpack it a
Speaker:little bit for us? Sure. So when I heard about,
Speaker:asset based community development, that's how it was in it
Speaker:was a position to me, by Phil.
Speaker:I was all in. It just it really
Speaker:made me think about everyone brings the
Speaker:best of their own abilities, to the community.
Speaker:And when people are recognized for that and they come
Speaker:together, you can really create something extraordinary.
Speaker:And so I was tasked to come up with,
Speaker:well, what would that actually be like? What would that sound like? And
Speaker:so what I, I did was about 4 or 5 months ago,
Speaker:start curating these ideas. And then the ideas then
Speaker:became materialized through what instruments. And, the
Speaker:instruments that we chose today, quite frankly,
Speaker:are, are children's instruments, hand bells, resonator bells, whistles,
Speaker:and, triangles and shakers. And so what
Speaker:we did was we invited, each attendee
Speaker:to choose one of those instruments based on their
Speaker:personality. And so
Speaker:when they showed up together, it created this harmonious
Speaker:tone in the room. So It was pretty awesome. It it
Speaker:really was. Appreciate it because I knew that took a lot of effort
Speaker:and thoughtfulness and musical ability, to to do
Speaker:that. So that was really cool. Let's connect that then
Speaker:to what is kind of the overall purpose of this organization
Speaker:Mhmm. Belonging exchange. People to belong together and exchange
Speaker:ideas and thoughts. Right. What do you think is the purpose of this organization
Speaker:and bringing different folks together to do something good. What
Speaker:is the value of that moving forward?
Speaker:For some reason, this analogy keeps come popping up into my mind. If
Speaker:all the doctors were to congregate in one place,
Speaker:no one would get healed. No one would get healing.
Speaker:And so it requires everyone's input.
Speaker:And I think everyone brings a different, gift to the
Speaker:community. And when they bring those gifts or what
Speaker:they're saying is assets, then we can all create
Speaker:something that that is unlike anything that we've ever experienced.
Speaker:So there'd be some dynamic aspect to community. The
Speaker:collaboration can create some energy moving
Speaker:forward that maybe serve the greater good in ways we don't even know yet. That's
Speaker:right. Yeah. That's right. Yeah. And that's really that's the tone
Speaker:that we're experiencing throughout in the room in those segments
Speaker:really represents that harmony. It's a harmonious cooperation. I've heard that harmonious
Speaker:cooperation. I've heard that term harmony or harmonious Mhmm. From several people here today, and
Speaker:you being a musician. There's some value when different tones come together
Speaker:to cause harmony. Is there not? That's right.
Speaker:Yeah. Sometimes
Speaker:when things are just one note, it's just one
Speaker:it's just one note. Yeah. Right? I can't even explain that correctly. But
Speaker:That seems that it didn't get isolationism, perhaps. It could be a metaphor
Speaker:there. Yeah. Yeah. And so, I found
Speaker:that what could we do by different
Speaker:people coming together and bringing those gifts together.
Speaker:And so everyone chose an instrument based on their personality.
Speaker:When we when we played it together, it created this tone in
Speaker:What a beautiful way to conclude this episode
Speaker:of the Belonging Exchange launch through the trifling picnic.
Speaker:That beautiful way is through the music of Vincent Matthew, who composed
Speaker:the music that we, and the songs that were part of the trifling
Speaker:picnic, including the music that we used to to be
Speaker:a break between the audio segments, the interviews. We
Speaker:certainly thank all the people who are part of the interviews. We will
Speaker:put in our show notes this, on this podcast
Speaker:all the links to we have to the Belonging
Speaker:Exchange website, belonging exchange.org.
Speaker:Thank you for listening to this episode of the Belonging
Speaker:Exchange launch at the trifling picnic presented by the
Speaker:Phil and Elaine Amerson Foundation. This was episode
Speaker:2 of 3. If you missed episode 1, we invite you to go back and
Speaker:listen to that episode, which gives a great introduction to the work of the
Speaker:belonging exchange. And please look forward to listening to
Speaker:episode number 3 where we will have interviews with an Indiana
Speaker:University College professor, a community organizer,
Speaker:housing authority officials, and a Habitat for Humanity
Speaker:family. Until next time, this is Brad Miller speaking
Speaker:for the creators of The Belonging Exchange,
Speaker:Phil and Elaine Aberson, in the sure and perfect
Speaker:knowledge that indeed we do belong and are
Speaker:better together.
