The Chairs Were Already Out

What happened after service at our first Community Lunch Connections.

A lively game of charades takes place as Rani gestures the sentence, while an enthralled audience watches with smiles and anticipation.

The Baptists congregation didn't come. The minister had told his congregation the date. Scheduling had other ideas. We looked at the empty chairs, looked at each other, and moved on. The chairs were already out. 

After the morning tea I stood up and said that today we will play charades.

Marcia looked uncertain. "What's charades?"

The room turned toward her. Someone explained. Then someone else. Then another. Within thirty seconds half the room was explaining charades to the other half, and nobody was a stranger anymore.

I am not entirely sure Marcia didn't know exactly what she was doing. Either way, it worked.

We divided into three teams. Each team got an Andrew. An Essendon Andrew, a Geelong Andrew, and a Brisbane Lions Andrew. The universe arranged this. We kept it.

One rule. Only the acting team guesses. This rule was ignored warmly and completely for the entire afternoon.  

Then came the clues.

Roger looked at his card and said flatly: "Buttering vegemite toast. How do you act that?"

You just do. You stand up in front of everyone, and you butter the invisible toast, and you hope for the best.

Angry Andy drew “Dancing badly”. "How do you act badly?" Same answer. You stand up. You dance crazy. The room decides the rest.

Nine-year-old Owen drew Carpenter. He stood up, picked up an invisible saw, and got to work with great seriousness. The room eventually got there. Owen had already moved on.

By the end nobody was worried about looking foolish. Nobody was waiting to see if it was safe. The shy ones had stood up. The uncertain ones had acted out the impossible clues. Marcia, who may or may not have known what charades was all along, had spent the afternoon shouting answers with everyone else.

The Baptists would have been welcome. But the room that showed up was exactly enough.

No age stopped anyone. No shyness held. Nobody let the empty chairs decide the afternoon.

Everyone was willing to try.

That, it turns out, is all a room needs.

Community Lunch Connections is quarterly. 

Details coming soon.

This August. Let's Get Quizzical!