As social media luster starts to fade with each breach of privacy, meetups, on the other hand, are roaring back in style (much like podcasts did).
And while some may say they never went away, their power, importance, and meaning for our culture can be a healing force in a social media landscape in rapid decline as civility dies within our favorite digital spaces.
And since it is very cold outside and, if you are like me, then we all are in search of the warmth of good community interaction that isn’t digitally driven, but reaches back into our analog traditions.
One such meetup happening on Wednesday night has me imaging images of Hygge (pronounced Hoo-ga) as the Grand Rapids Knitters, a local meetup group of West Michigan, arrive at Creston for a three-hour event that is sure to spark joy as you congregate with some amazing artisans.
Hygge has often been described as the coziness of the soul and this group is perfect for everyone from the novice to the advanced as they gather around craft brews named after many wonderful aspects of our city’s culture. This group is open to knitting or crochet activities and they welcome new knitters with their projects as they are here to advance comfort in creation at this gathering.
So if you have been curious about your post-Facebook life, then this might be just the thing to keep you in stitches for hours. (Sorry. Sure it is a bad pun, but laughter — even the groaning kind — is better than no laughter at all.)
In my opinion, humanity needs more meetups to reignite genuine human dialogue and healthy interactions within our physical public spaces. This Wednesday’s Knit Night! is a chance to rekindle the fire of community while you occupy your hands with something other than a keyboard or handheld screen.
All levels are welcome. To learn more about our local Grand Rapids Knitters, please visit their meetup page
here for more details on how to join them. Tiny donations of $1-$2 each are suggested.