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Organising a group dinner can be a nightmare. On a recent attempt, I put it out to a crew.
“So sorry, I can’t make it,” I got back. “I have bonsai club.”
Bonsai Club? This from a man the other eight of us didn’t even know had house plants. He sent us some videos from later in the eve. A group of people, all ages, completely loving on bonsai. Everyone looked so happy.
There’s something special about loving the same thing. It’s a point of connection. A topic of conversation. But also: to feel part of something. A club, a gang, a group of people who are really excited about something. You won’t have to watch your colleagues or your partner roll their eyes as you start in again for the 42nd time that day on the topic you’re really obsessed with right now.
Be it in learning something you always wanted to do, or, maybe something you never thought you’d do in a thousand years.
“Getting together with real people in real life makes powerful things happen,” reads New York-based networking service Meetup’s website. “Side hustles become careers, ideas become movements, and chance encounters become lifelong connections.”
When heading to uni, the piece of advice I was given the most was “join a club”. This, I was told time and time again, was the key to finding your tribe. To meeting people who were passionate about what you are passionate about. Student council. Environmental. Sports. Whatever.
Learning new skills in a club is a great way to meet new friends, maybe even a best friend.
So, what are your options? We reached around to find what our nearest and dearest keep as their passion projects…
Grow something
As my friend showed me, turns out those little, immaculately manicured plants can prove to be quite a big deal.
“Learn as much as you please about growing bonsai,” reads one club’s website. “Meet other bonsai enthusiasts,” encourages a directory. And another: “Our relaxed monthly meetings are a great opportunity to bring in trees for display or advice, attend workshops and discuss styling and shaping or just chat about bonsai in a friendly environment.”
All very friendly language. Go and work on your green thumb.
Up your surfing game
If you’re keen on a little salt water therapy or would just like to chill with some new people on a weekly basis, head down to OneWave’s Fluoro Friday. It’s a weekly sunrise session at beaches around the country. There you’ll find new friends to surf with and an opportunity to really wear some serious neons. OneWave are a non-profit surf community tackling mental health issues, and, since launching in Bondi in 2013, OneWave has reached over 60 beaches worldwide, sharing the their very special brand of saltwater therapy, raising awareness and reducing social stigmas around mental health issues. And if you’re not keen on a surf, try some yoga with the gang.
Learn an instrument
Or, more specifically: the ukulele. This, for the uninitiated, is a small, four-stringed guitar. It’s thanks, largely, the Hawaii and conjures tropical destinations and sand between the toes. But it’s not just for the shores of Honolulu. A quick google search will reveal page after page of ukulele clubs. Attendance for most of them is free (our favourite price).
Among the devotees is my dad.
“I love it because you when you play in a group everyone has fun without trying hard,” he tells me. “No one is perfect. And still, it sounds great!” He assures me, too, that you need no prior how-to or even any real skill.
“If you want to practice at home, you can learn on this thing called YouTube … Have you heard of it?”
He also loves ukulele club because they are "completely cool" with him rocking up dressed as Elvis for the days they plan do Jailhouse Rock and All Shook Up. This is not a reaction he gets at home. Turns out, anything goes at ukulele club.
(Note: As a result of asking Dad for quotes for this piece I am receiving daily audio tracks of his ukulele advances. I blame whatever club taught him to use his smartphone - Smartphones For Seniors, I am looking at you.)
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