Standing with back to camera, Ross Messer; left to right, front row: Lynn Fidler, Mary Lou Glazer, Linda Whittington, Kim Pearce-Bull, Phil Barish and Roberta Bowers; back row: Raeone Gilson, Beler Watts, Cheryl Watts, Gary Egrebetson, Tim McCauley, Carole Lawrence, Judy Verbeke and Keith Sturdivant, partly obscured
Keith Sturdivant
Outside the Box? What the heck is that? I see it on the monthly meeting list, but…? These are just a few of the questions I get asked when I tell someone that tomorrow I’m going to Outside the Box, or I just got back from Outside the Box. Now I’m not one to write many articles, but I’ve been asked enough times that I felt a need to put something out there so that maybe some of you who haven’t asked me yet can know if you want to join in.
The group is a brainchild of Ross Messer who picked up on the fact that at the Ranch there are a lot of really interesting people. Most of the discussions we have, whether at happy hour, the pool or dining out, are often very insightful because of the varied backgrounds of the people who live here. His thought was to put together an open (but structured) forum where we could take a prompt (a video clip, a newspaper article, a line from a comedian) and in a technique known as dialogue, listen and talk about the prompt within small groups. Here’s the catch. There is no right or wrong answer, winner or conclusion. There is just an opportunity to share what you think and listen to how others might see what you just saw differently. Trust me, it’s amazing what you can contribute and what you learn when you listen.
Next time you see Outside the Box on the monthly calendar on the first Tuesday of the month, come check it out. No snacks, but some good exercise for the brain.
Do you have questions? Contact Keith Sturdivant at [email protected], or Ross Messer at [email protected].