14 January 2016

Who’s on Your Team?

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The other day I went for a walk with my daughter Imogen. As we were heading along a bush track, I noticed she was fumbling with her iPod.

“Are you listening to something?” I asked.

“No,” she replied. “I just had an idea about a blog post, and I’m making a note of it before I forget.”

I understand about note making. I scribble down ideas all the time. If I didn’t, I’d soon forget them. And then some ‘brilliant’ idea might be lost to the world forever. What a sad thought.

After she’d made her note, Imogen told me about her latest blog post idea. “A reader suggested I share some of the things I learnt during my university writing course. I might write a post about the elements of a good mystery novel.”

I wanted to know more about writing mysteries, so Imogen told me, and then I said, “It sounds like a huge topic. You have a lot to say. Why don’t you write a series?”

By the time we’d walked down the sandstone bush track, and climbed back up the hill again, we’d mapped out the possible posts in the series. As we headed for home, Imogen said, “I love working on our ideas together.” I do too.

“I’m never going to be able to leave home,” said my young adult daughter. “I can’t leave my team. What would I do without my family? I need everyone’s help. Who else would film my music videos for me and show me how to edit them? Who would do my hair and nails? Who would discuss ideas with me?”

It seems to me that we all need a team. If we’re following our dreams, we need people who understand how we feel, who will offer feedback in an encouraging way, who will take our ideas seriously and offer their own. We need people we can rely on for help, and who are happy to share their skills and talents with us.

Our family is our dream-following team. But of course, there are many kinds of teams. Each one helps us and supports us in a different way.

  • There are Facebook groups. If you have a particular interest, I bet there’s a Facebook group to match. We belong to ones associated with unschooling, faith, grief, photography, and writing.
  • Yahoo forums can be a great place to meet like-minded people. I belong to the Unschooling Catholics one.
  • How about a group of close friends who have the same interest? I have a couple of special friends I share my writing with via email. I don’t belong to a MasterMind group, but maybe these work the same way, with a small number of members communicating via a group or Skype or something similar.
  • Of course, there are lots of groups we can join where we’ll see real people. We tried a local homeschooling group for a time.
  • And then probably best of all is a husband or close friend or sister. Or all three.
READ  If We Collaborate Could We Light a Gentle Unschooling Fire?

Yes, there are lots of ways to belong to a team.As we finished our walk, Imogen said, “I love our life, don’t you?”

“Yes, life is good!” I love sharing it with my family, and all those other special people who are on my team.

So who’s on your team? Who do you share ideas with? Is it your family? Do you have friends with similar interests who encourage and support you?

And what do you think about mysteries? Do you have a favourite author or series?

I rather like Alexander McCall Smith’s No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency series. I enjoyed the books immensely. The TV series is good as well. It’s just a pity there isn’t a second series to continue the story. Maybe I should join the Facebook page, Bring Back Series 2 of The No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency series. I could become part of that team!

 

Imogen has written the first part of her mystery writing series. It’s called Elements of a Good Mystery.
If you feel like reading it, please do!

Sue Elvis

I'm an Australian blogger, podcaster, and Youtuber. I write and speak about unschooling, parenting and family life. I'm also the author of the unschooling books 'Curious Unschoolers', 'Radical Unschool Love' and ‘The Unschool Challenge’. You'll find them on Amazon!

18 Comments

  1. The Father Brown mysteries and of course there is good old Columbo!!! My mum couldn't stand him but that guy played by Peter Falkner was just ace 🙂 xx

    • San,

      We like the Father Brown mysteries too. We watched one episode of the TV series. The actor playing Father Brown looked very different from what we imagined. I guess that's the problem when books are turned into TV series or movies. I don't think I've ever seen Columbo though I do know who you are talking about! xx

  2. It is hard to try to do everything alone, so luckily I have a friend with whom I've shared a friendship for over 20 years to hear me out from time to time. 🙂

    • Hwee,

      Close friends we have known for a long time are wonderful. I have a few friends who have travelled with me through the various stages of my life. I feel very fortunate too!

  3. You got me thinking about how there are so many different types of groups that there should be a group to suit everyone, Sue. Aside from real life relationships, I'm enjoying reading my favourite few blogs and finding creative inspiration on Pinterest. I've had ideas for blogging about my interests and sharing online but I haven't settled down to do much, yet. Being part of a team takes effort and commitment!

    This was an encouraging post, Sue xxx

    • Vicky,

      Yes, blogging communities can be part of our team too. I didn't mention them! You are so right: "Being part of a team takes effort and commitment!" Sometimes we have to make choices about which teams we belong to. I have found though that all the effort is well worth it. I have a lot of wonderful friends on my team. I suppose it's a bit like being part of a family. The hard work is balanced by the love and support.

      Thanks for sharing your thoughts, Vicky. xx

  4. Hmmm….the folks at Not Back To School Camp, my sister, my support group. Those are probably the main ones. I share ideas with my mother, and friends. My circus troupe is my circus support team. The friends I'm learning Spanish with are my language support team. I love having different groups of people for all the things I need!

    • Larkin,

      I like the sound of Not Back to School Camp. Spending time with people who are in your situation, and so understand about not going to school must be good. You belong to a circus troupe? That sounds like a lot of fun! Unschooling certainly opens up the opportunities for learning and allows us to do many interesting things. I'm so glad you stopped by. Thank you!

    • Not Back to School Camp is an amazing camp for teenage unschoolers. It's great to spend time with other people in the same boat as me. Yes, I've been doing circus for about 5 years. I focus on trapeze and handbalancing.

    • Larkin,

      It sounds like you are very agile. I love watching the trapeze artistes when we go to the circus. We've seen the Moscow Circus a couple of times. They only come to Australia every two or three years. We always enjoy their performances. It must be a lot of fun belonging to a circus troupe. Thanks for sharing!

  5. Different groups for differnt things we do. My family do not share my fibre obsession – only the results – and the computer gaming only interests a few. We're different even though we're a family, an have the needs to go out to different groups to do so. Internet based groups, real life groups, …, but still the most important is the family.

    • Uglemor,

      Oh yes, our families enjoy the results of our obsessions even if the process doesn't interest them! I don't have a fibre obsession but I still like hearing about what you do. Computer gaming? Is that one of your passions? Maybe I should know the answer to that question because we've been friends now for quite some time! I do agree with you that family is the most important part of our team. We are very blessed to have so many special people who love and support us.

  6. My family is my core team: husband, kids, my sister and my folks. I miss being able to bounce ideas off of my MIL, but she's still on my team. Maybe she's moved up to the major league! 🙂 I'm starting to see my FIL as on my team. I think he always was, he was just quieter.

    I have a few close friends, the daily Mass crew, and my Dominican community. I think Uglemor is right, we have different teams for different subjects. I don't really go to the Dominicans for home school support, and I wouldn't ask my FIL for knitting advice. :))

    You're on my team! You're the friend that encourages me to trust, respect, and love unconditionally!

    Reading, I like Sherlock Holmes, Father Brown, and the Brother Caedfell mysteries. Watching, I think Columbo is brilliant, and Jeremy Brett was the definitive classic Holmes!

    • Wendy,

      Your comment about your FIL made me think: We all need a place to belong and we all want to feel useful and needed. Maybe we should include people on our team for their sakes as well as ours. Did I explain that properly? Hard to find the right words!

      Asking your FIL for knitting advice? That made me smile. I wonder if he has other interests and skills he shares with you.

      It's good to be on your team. Thank you for including me! Vicky is right: a blogging community can be a very supportive team. I'm so glad you're on my team too!

      I know Sherlock Holmes and Father Brown, but I'm going to have to look up Brother Caedfell. My girls will be interested in a new (to them) mystery series. They love mysteries!

    • Oh, yes! My FIL and I share a love of science fiction and history, which means we both love alternate histories. He has a lot more time to read than I do, so he is a great source for book recommendations. He also knows a truly vast amount about classical music and opera. Mostly, though, he's on my team because he loves me! :)He's always interested in what we are doing and he's very supportive.

      I do think there are people that need to be on our team, that we wouldn't have picked first, but they often are the people we up needing most!

    • WEndy,

      Your FIL sounds like a very interesting person. I have found that when people are interested in what I'm doing, they make me feel very special. And I do love your last sentence. So true! This has been such a great discussion. I've really enjoyed chatting with you about our teams!

  7. My teams come and go. At the moment I'm setting up a home team as I leave my school team.
    I find it so hard to keep up with my online blogging team but continue to persevere as I miss the contact with other minds, being at home so much.
    I have one or two great friends who I don't see or contact often but when we meet we are back to the closeness we had. I consider them on my team. They would do anything for me if I needed them, and vice versa.
    Lovely to hear of your supportive talk with Imogen!
    Xo Jazzy Jack

    • Jazzy Jack,

      I find it hard to keep up my blogging team too. Sometimes I get so far behind with reading/commenting/chatting, I begin to feel guilty. It's at times like this, I consider becoming an ex-blogger because life is too overwhelming. But, like you, I persevere because I really would miss all my blogging friends if I were no longer blogging. I do love sharing with them.

      The best friendships are those we can slip back into, after a period of no contact, as if we've never been away. Special friends!

      Jazzy Jack, I hope you find a wonderful home team as your family's life heads in a new direction!

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