One thing I’ve often said about why I like sports is that it gives you something to talk about with the guy at the deli, the woman at the bakery, something to bond over with your dentist, or gives you a reason to invite neighbors over to spend time together. It’s a bridge from being a stranger to being bound to something together. The local sports team is a topic for discussion in public, a topic that you can bring up in polite conversation. 

For this post, I wanted to give flowers to my neighbor Carrie. But, not just Carrie. She was participating in an online group of community members known as Buy Nothing, but focusing on her allows me to stay true to my own rules here. There are many variations of this type of group. There are online communities brought together through a mutual geographic location with a shared goal of reducing waste by connecting people who have something with a need of it to people without who have a need or want of the thing. 

Today, I’d like to give flowers to a total stranger who reminded me of the youthful exuberance of loving music, or loving anything that’s meaningful to you. 

Ok, so here’s the deal. This here thing will be about "giving flowers to people while they’re around to smell them." If you’re unfamiliar with this phrase, it’s akin to singing praises and giving credit where credit is due to people before they pass away. Giving them their praise while they’re around to hear it, read it, acknowledge it.