A Dozen Months of Sundays (Part 1)

We did it. 41 conversations. 144 hours of Zoom.

When I decided to launch a “Four Sundays” group back in January, no part of me assumed that we would make it to December. Not because I didn’t want to. I just had no idea how things would go. I didn’t know if there would be a group in February. My assumption was that even if eight people signed up to fill the first one, those eight would move on after a month.

Fast forward to last Sunday. Bri has been in the group for 10 months. Catherine ended up doing 11 out of 12. Which is to say, first that I was wrong about everybody leaving after one. And second, well, we did it. The group met from January to December, 41 conversations across a dozen months of Sundays.

Some fun additional numbers. (I find these numbers fun.)

I mentioned that there were 8 spots available in the group. And you already know that we met for all 12 months. Had my initial assumption been correct, about people joining for one month then moving on, it would have required 96 individuals to make it through the year. Instead, 21 filled all those spots. Which means that, on average, each person stayed in the group for 4.5 months.

You guys. I thought people would show up for a month and then bounce. Instead they stayed for four or five!

Okay, more numbers.

The understanding coming into the group was that each conversation would last three hours. Actually I believe I told everyone 2.5 and then a half-hour of bonus time. Well, bonus time went out the window fast. Because we never talked for less than three hours. We hit four the second week. And while I realize it’s not humanly possible to spend four hours talking on Zoom, we somehow did this many times. If I had to guess the average length we met for, let’s go with 3.5. Which, multiplied by 41 Sundays, comes out to 143.5 hours. And since I’m a former sales rep, we’re gonna round that up to 144.

In 2023, I spent 144 hours leading a group that met on Zoom to talk about life. That’s a lot of Zoom. And more importantly, that’s a lot of life.

Now, you’re probably wondering what the heck we talked about for that amount of time. (Sidenote: I sometimes get asked if we record the conversations. Reasonable question. Heck no, we don’t. This ain’t a podcast, people!) The conversations are private but there are a few things I can share. I’ve learned a ton from this surprising Sunday story, from the 21 different characters who showed up eight at a time, week after week, to play a role that’s far from easy.

There’s an Oscar Wilde quote that I stumbled upon recently, by way of Bono: “Give a man a mask and he will tell you the truth.”

Those words have stayed with me. I think about them a lot. But this crew attempted something harder, which is the truth without a mask.

I’ll tell you more soon. That will be Part Two. Before we go, something important.

Thank You Becca. Thank You Colleen. Thank You Catherine. Thank You Britt. Thank You Sarah. Thank You Bri. Thank You Janelle. Thank You Sara. Thank You Amber. Thank You Amy. Thank You Charis. Thank You Anna. Thank You Julie. Thank You Jaden. Thank You Olya. Thank You Angie. Thank You Kofi. Thank You Mason. Thank You Amaris. Thank You Meredith. Thank You Shari.

You changed my life. I’m forever grateful.

One more thing. (Two more things.) I mentioned Bri doing 10 out of 12 months this year, and Catherine doing 11. Well Bri would tell you she’s competitive. She’s coming back in January to tie the record. Which means that, yup, the Sunday group is continuing on. There will be a Thursday group in January as well—okay, most of us are meeting Thursday evenings. Lyndal and Marlei are in Australia, so we’ll be seeing them on Friday mornings.

I’m not sure how long each group will go for. Much of that depends on the folks who show up, and their desire to continue. I suppose we’ll take things one Sunday—and one Thursday, which is one Australian Friday—at a time.

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If you are yet to experience a small-group conversation, I lead a bunch that meet just once. At the moment you’ve got five options to choose from—one this coming Wednesday and then four to start the new year. In between there is a special event I’m doing twice. Join me for BEGIN AGAIN on Saturday, December 30 or Tuesday, January 2nd. Or you’re welcome to come to both for no additional charge. Here’s a look at the horizon:

Wednesday, December 20 - "The Holidays Are Hard for Me" 

Saturday, December 30 - "BEGIN AGAIN"

Tuesday, January 2 - "BEGIN AGAIN"

Friday, January 5 - "So This Is the New Year"

Friday, January 12 - "I Wish I Had More Friends"

Saturday, January 20 - "What I Believe About God and What God Believes About Me"

Tuesday, January 30 - "I'm in a Season of Change"

Any of the above topics and titles can be customized for a private event, whether that means a workshop for a corporate group, me giving a talk, or something else you have in mind. The amazing team at Collective Speakers can help.

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After doing it all by email a year ago, this time around I’m offering gift cards. The first covers a small-group conversation or half-hour coaching session. The second is available for various amounts. If you’re trying to shop small this holiday season, it doesn’t get much smaller than one man and a ten-pound dog.

I’m available for coaching and consulting on a limited basis. If you’re curious about working together one-on-one, here’s the link for that action.