Small embodiments of possibility

It's birthday season in my family. During a single week in September, we celebrate four birthdays, including my son's. He's in high school now, so the preparations no longer involve dinosaur decorations or trips to a LEGO Store. The milestone is no less memorable or meaningful, though. It's just different. Every year of being a parent, every year of life, is an essential piece of the puzzle. I would never trade one for another. Each is irreplaceable.

This dispatch marks three months of Uncommon.  I think of this unfolding story in a similar way. There are quiet chapters and ones where the plot advances rapidly. New characters will be introduced and a storyline will take an unexpected turn. Each chapter is essential to the story. Each of you, irreplaceable.

We'll be adding a new twist to the Uncommon story over the next few weeks, one that builds ever so slowly on what we've created so far together. I'll have more to share about that this week, as well as a helpful overview of Uncommon in Common as a whole. I'd also like to set aside time for a few Campfire chats and phone calls. Let me know if you're interested and we'll make it happen.

Prompted

Last week's dispatch asked, What sorts of things do you love to collect, and why? There were many wonderful responses (for instance, you'll want to ask Keith about the artisan craft that is hot sauce), including this marvelous story from Lora:

I am an incorrigible lover of bowls. On the simplest level, this could be explained by my equal love for things that one typically serves in bowls-- soups, stews, chili, ice cream, cereal, etc.-- but a lot of the bowls I've amassed end up in rooms other than my kitchen. One favorite bowl now sits in my library and holds my mailbox key; another in my bedroom collects loose change; and other bowls sit on tables and shelves, beautiful and empty. It is, after all-- to paraphrase a Taoist philosophy-- their emptiness that makes them useful. Sometimes, I think of the myriad items I could place in them: sea glass, candles, flowers and so on; but ultimately, I leave most of them them unassigned. In that way, I like to think that I'm not just collecting pottery, but small embodiments of the world of possibility.

Uncommon reads

Making a Better Internet by Rian van der Merwe

Collaboration is Noisy from iDoneThis

Erin and Diana on communities, friendships and XOXO in Portland

Your turn

What is the most memorable birthday gift you've received?