Brandon Bennett @broyceb

With the language of "reproductive rights" more common in recent weeks, we need regular reminders that this language typically refers to practices that involve the slaughter of the most innocent and vulnerable members of humanity. May we never grow numb to the evil of it.

***Longer post, feel free to skip*** Bring Back More Low-Stakes Social Gatherings In the early 50s, my grandparents moved into a small home in Kearns, Utah, that had been built just a few years earlier, after World War II. Among my fondest memories growing up was going over to their house for extended family gatherings, with 25 or more people crammed into their small front room, kitchen, and basement. Kids sat on laps, and adults sat on couches and the floor, or on a spare chair or two brought in from the dining room. There was no great room, no large flat-screen television for watching shows. It was just a couple of small rooms, a lot of people, and a lot of talking and laughing. My grandparents also hosted lots of friends at their house during the 60 years they lived in that small house before passing away. I am not aware they ever regretted that their house was the size it was or hesitated to host people. I also am not aware that they ever had a gathering fully catered, sent out elaborate invitations, or did other things that cost a lot of money or required a great deal of time. But they were very social people. My grandparents' house in Kearns, Utah. They planted the weeping birch tree you see in the front yard. We aren't getting together like we used to. It’s my belief that we aren’t getting together as much as we used to. As a result, we are losing valuable chances to connect with each other, becoming more atomized in society and feeling lonelier than we should. I think a major factor in this is that gathering in one place together has become more formal and more "high-stakes" than it was in the past. Somewhere along the way hosting people in our homes or gathering in larger groups became laden with expectations, and as those expectations have risen for gathering, we do less of it. I’d suggest that we need to get together more, in person. One key way to do that more is to bring back the types of low-stakes social gatherings that were more common in the past. What makes for higher-stakes social gatherings? Some or all of these attributes are present when gatherings are higher-stakes. As these factors become expectations, they add unnecessary weight and result in fewer gatherings: - They require a lot of money, whether for catering, decorations, entertainment. High-stakes activities may have extensive catering, require expensive food, or even involve renting a venue. - They require a lot of time to prepare for. Time to prepare goes toward decorating, cleaning, arranging, etc. - They assume a need for people to have lots of room to spread out. The “minimum requirements” for gatherings have increased, meaning that we are expecting everyone to have ample room to move around, almost as if they were in their own home alone. There is even sometimes a self-imposed requirement by people that homes will be optimized for gatherings, rather than optimized for regular life (and then modestly adapted to gatherings as needed). - They require a lot of advance notice. This has root causes of its own, but lots of advance notice requires more preparation, more coordination, and results in gathering less. - They require long time commitments and/or cost to attend/participate. A sign of a higher-stakes activity is that attending places meaningful demands on the visitors as well—a need for an elaborate costume, or travel, or preparation of some sort. - They are Instagram-worthy. This is a catch-all quality, but you get the idea. They are solving for broadcasting the activity rather than participating in it. What are the attributes of low-stakes gatherings? In contrast to higher-stakes activities, low-stakes gatherings put the emphasis on just getting together. The minimum standard is to end up in the same place for a time, have a good time, and do it again soon. Of course anyone who is inclined toward doing some kind of special preparation or taking other pains can of course do so. Some people’s homes are perfectly designed for hosting and welcoming masses of people. But the main idea is that it should not be expected by either host or guest, and that it is not the point. - They don’t require a large venue. Above all, this is a mindset. If people can fit around a table, there is enough room. An entire evening can be around a small table, from a meal to games to a long converastion. If there are too many people to fit on the regular furniture in the living room, you bring the chairs from the dining table. It’s kept simple. - They don’t require a lot of setup/take down/decorating. It’s up to you, of course, but the main idea is that a low-stakes activity doesn’t require a lot of crafting or other preparation. Low-stakes gatherings can get away with a little something that takes 10 minutes, maybe adds a little pizzazz if you want. - They don’t involve elaborate invitations or other advance planning/preparation. The time from “we should have a gathering” and “we are ready for this gathering” should be small. - They don’t require participants to overly dress up or take on some major preparation. Low-stakes gatherings are dead simple for someone to attend. The primary spirit is to just show up! - They are inexpensive. This can be a bit at odds with the “low-preparation” attribute of a low-stakes gathering, but the main idea is to find a balance between cost and time. So what can we do to create more low-stakes social gatherings? - Impose some constraints. Consciously design your gatherings to be lower-stakes for both you and your guests. - Set aside more time. Set aside a night every week or two to have people over. Create a social norm within your friend group to get together in a low-stakes way. - Make it communal. Ask people to bring one thing: a dish, a game, whatever. Make it a small, simple contribution that in the context of a group gathering makes it easy to constitute plenty of food, fun, etc. - Take yourself (and others) less seriously. Life is so short, and nobody will remember whether you had your remodel done or an updated paint job when you had them over to play cards. Just do it. - Focus on the people. The point is the people, not the party. People aren't lonely for accommodations; they're lonely for kindness and connection. Some of you are already very good at this. What is working for you to gather in low-stakes ways? What did I miss?

@shawngorham One benefit of making it more readable is this long form article could become weeks worth of content either as a series or standalone.

The fourth ranked team in the country, @UNC_Basketball, plays at home tomorrow night vs Louisville. I have two tickets to give away. RT, be following and have DMs open to have a chance to win.

@JoshpHaywood Dm sent!

@helloduff2 @MikeBotkin_ Mind sharing what industry?

@ryanboothops Goes hand in hand with your post about chasing rabbits. Circular pattern when the rabbits are unrealistic…

@ryanboothops So many stories I could tell about working under this type of leadership.

@BPindulic Interested!

@BPindulic Interested in learning more!

“I like you @ofctimallen” says my 5 year old. Glad we can all enjoy Home Improvement together. He definitely likes you more than Al and Bob Vila.

@ChandlerReedSMB @SMBootcamp_ Model

From our @SMBootcamp_ Back of Napkin Deal Model showing a standard Self-Funded Searcher Deal. We use this to quickly analyze potential deals before spending too much time on them. Want to use it yourself? - Reply "Model" - Like + RT this - Follow me & I'll DM you

"God is most glorified when we are most satisfied in Him." -John Piper

@AustinLinney Have been a part of organizations where this is a struggle. It’s disheartening for those under the leadership.

@RoryTyer Maybe forgot to put the “n” before the “ever”

@SBA_Matthias When I first considered entrepreneurship several years ago a local deck owner provided hard copy pics of work. Lost his mind when I mentioned seller financing and requested that I mail them back.

@SBA_Matthias Never as stable as you think it is

@EndresenHeather Would love if you could provide an example of this in action!