McCarthy's was cool, too; I'm just sorry I wimped out on my "half" of Guinness. The one really good thing about Guinness is, it fills you up way before it makes you drunk (at least, that's my experience). I think that if I were the type to have time to "hang out" in a bar, it would be one like McCarthy's (and not just because I'm looking for an Irish man!). It was a very relaxing, low-key kind of atmosphere, with pictures of the Founding Fathers on the wall (you know, Mick Collins and Dev and the boys).

As far as the discussion at Common Grounds goes, the one thing I took away that made the most impression on me was the "potluck" analogy that Linda made. Being a community is much like participating in a potluck dinner. Everyone has something to bring to the "table", and to fully experience the dinner, you have to sample a little of what everyone has brought. This means we all feed each other, and we all benefit from what the other folks have contributed. If someone in the group is famous for their sweet potato casserole and they don't bring it, then everyone has lost out on part of the "community experience." (I'm not sure if I'm saying this in a coherent manner--it's always a bad idea to start writing food metaphors just before dinner.) Anyway, the point is that we all have unique giftings to offer a community, even if we think we don't, and the community loses out if those giftings aren't utilized.

| posted by #Debi | 6:01 PM | |