Up & Coming Weekly

May 12, 2020

Up and Coming Weekly is a weekly publication in Fayetteville, NC and Fort Bragg, NC area offering local news, views, arts, entertainment and community event and business information.

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WWW.UPANDCOMINGWEEKLY.COM MAY 13-19, 2020 UCW 15 OPINION The thrill of gathering with old friends and making new ones around the spectacle of a live con- cert with a favorite musical artist is hard to beat. Whether the music is locally, nationally or interna- tionally popular, there's some- thing about those events that level the ground for us socially. The music doesn't care if you pulled up in a new sports car or spent your last dime on a ticket. It's just there to please. By the time you read this, we've missed more than a dozen oppor- tunities to hang out together at local venues for an evening, afternoon or weekend of some ground-leveling. But, soon that will all end. And when it does, we need to remember how much we longed for time together during the isolation chamber known as COVID-19. I can hardly wait to walk the concourse in search of party food and artist memorabilia or stroll the aisles of artisan vendor booths at a local festival while greet- ing unmasked acquaintances. I genuinely miss freely gathering with people, and it only took a few weeks of semi-forced isolation to send me into a social tailspin. The truth is, we're made for relationship — built that way from the origin of humans. Way back near the front of the Bible, God says, "...it's not good for man to be alone." And, it's not. We can see that more clearly now than perhaps ever before — unless you were a space station astronaut or something, in which case you already knew. So my question for you today is this: What will you take away from this COVID-19 thing? Will you be more thoughtful in accepting and following through when invited to local gatherings? Will you cel- ebrate extended family birthdays and reunions with new vigor? Will you still choose church online on a busy Sunday, or will you carve out the time be with people you love being with? It's easy to stay in the same lazy habits of avoidance when gather- ing freely is possible, but I hope after a period of standing six feet apart in line at the grocery store and returning home because there's nowhere else to go will help us return to the truth that we are built for relationship. See you soon! by DAN DEBULER Humans are built to be in community. presents Fayetteville's "Best" Band 3 years in a row Book your upcoming events! Rivermist Band 910-797-7140 www.rivermistband.com www.facebook.com/rivermistband Search "Rivermist Band" on Instagram and "Ain't No Party Like A #rivermistparty" DAN DEBRULER, General Manager, WCLN. Comments? Editor@upandcomingweekly. com. 910-484-6200.

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