There is definitely a sense of belonging when you take part in team sports. The knowledge that your efforts are contributing to the effort as a whole is uplifting and it makes for a feeling of wellbeing, particularly when success comes with that team effort. The old adage ‘There is no I in Team’ really rings true here. I was with some pals in a walking group – just a social group who walk once as month in the season. This year for our first foray of the year, we visited a local village that puts on a spectacular daffodil festival every third year. Needless to say there were quite a few like-minded groups of happy chatty folk all doing the same thing – walking together, with a purpose of all enjoying the fresh air, the spring bird song and of course the camararderie. This latter aspect has much to recommend group activity – it involves mutual trust and friendship which is shared amongst a group of not naturally like-minded people. These qualities come about from shared experiences and challenges which have generally result from the group sport or some kind of exceptional effort. That can also describe the fantastic success achieved by the working committee that organised and ran the daffodil festival we attended.
We were all very impressed by the amount of goodwill being displayed to all the other visitors who attended this normally very quiet and sleepy village. Having lived in an equally sleepy little village for my entire childhood up until moving out upon marriage, we were very familiar with the busy families, the movers and shakers in the world of village politics and success! But back to the daffodil festival – there were very fit guys in bright hazard vests, on sports bikes, pedalling up and down the long main street, shepherding folk to whereever they were heading and suggesting other attractions that had been put on but could otherwise get overlooked. They were encouraging and very polite to everyone. Those of us in the less mobile sector were equally welcome and at one point we had two chaps manfully lifting as mobility scooter from a back seat onto the non slip car ramp to make for easier traction. There were also marshalls at each of the gardens open for viewing and these chaps, maps in hand gleefully recommended other gardens further along the route and answered questions about the history of the village. The Church was open for a craft sale – this in itself was glorious, but the teamwork of the volunteers with their bright ‘dafffest’ vests and aprons really helped to make their efforts gel.
The gardens themselves were all beautiful – immaculate lawns and borders with exactly the right displays of daffs and other spring bulbs. Once we hasd exhausted the garden viewings, we headed back down through the throngs of visitors and made our way into the Village Hall for that very welcome coffee and stalwart of the village experience . . . . the piece of home made cake. Again, there were some splendid examples for sale. The team work between the volunteers was outstanding with younger folk going round collecting up empty crockery and ensuring the tables were wiped and made welcoming for the next party to flop down and enjoy themselves further.
If lifestyle was judged on a successful tri-annual village festival, then that one would be hailed as the blue print for a successful and fulfilling existence!
