May to Patty - joining a group

 

Apparently I only did three Amy-borders. This is too bold and too sloppy. I rather like the way the name. came out. Those little figures could be so much better. It's tricky to do naive or primitive styles and not make them too refined - and at the other end of the spectrum - not too sloppy.

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Here's something a bit off the wall for the new people who have joined the exchange. Once again, I have no idea if they read the blog - but it was an interesting tidbit. It was in the newsletter from Eric Barker who wrote the book Plays Well With Others which was recommended to me by someone. After reading it, I wondered if that person was hinting that I did not play well. But, I digress.

I did enjoy the book enough to sign up for the author's monthly newsletter. Even though most of my playtime is virtual, I'm interested in being a good pen pal friend. His latest newsletter included many tips. I might post about some of the others. 

This tidbit about a possible reward from joining a group jumped out at me:

As political scientist Robert Putnam put it, “Your chances of dying over the next year are cut in half by joining one group.” An analysis of 148 studies with more than 300,000 participants basically backed him up.

I'm not a big fan of studies that make these kinds of claims. But, I also see a benefit in having some connections. I respect that many of us are not looking for actual groups. We're introverted in a nice way. So, for the new members of the exchange - I think the exchange counts as a group.

And if you don't like the exchange and drop out - that's OK. There are lots of other groups. Although this is one of the few that provides a fun experience when you check your mailbox.