Humans and the Communal Bond

There are many ways we humans show and share our communal bonds. 

Major league sports exploit our need to belong to a group with their sale of team clothing, decals, and more. Kids wear their team colors, shirts, and jackets — or not. Each is a statement of belonging to something or deciding just the opposite.

We love flags and colors for what they represent. But we mostly love the feeling of belonging to something or the feeling of being somewhat outside the norm and bucking the tide.

And soon we will be celebrating St. Patrick's Day. A major event is some places and perhaps not noticed elsewhere. I grew up near Boston, a big city with a large Irish population. I'm descended from Irish immigrant grandparents. Our relatives in the "old country" sent my mother a small box of living shamrock each St. Patrick's Day and I took the mysterious green and white box to show off its contents at school. I wanted other kids to know I belonged to something mysterious and special.

There is something magical that happens when people wear patriotic colors on patriotic holidays, or pink for breast cancer awareness month, or red for heart disease. An instant bond or communication can take place.  Some become insiders in the special group.

My parents said that "everyone" is Irish on St. Patrick's Day. But for many years I was in the group that didn't want to identify with any trendy thing —no green on St. Patrick's Day, no patriotic colors on July 4th. So amid the greenery in my Celtic jewelry section on LehaneArts.etsy.com is a gorgeous blue necklace marking just a bit of the old rebellious spirit that drives my ambition.

https://www.etsy.com/listing/179168466/celtic-necklace-double-strand-light-blue

Here's an invitation to view and perhaps purchase something special for St. Patrick's Day at LehaneArts.etsy.com and just because you do, I'll offer free shipping to a US address until March 14 with the code shipfree314 at checkout. Come on and join the fun of belonging to the ancient and mysterious Celtic ways, at least for one day this year!