Lately, I've been reflecting a lot on interactions that I am a part of, where there are a group of people who have shared similar experiences and they are discussing them and don't provide context for those of us who weren't there and essentially have no idea what's going on.
I've been thinking about how this can be/is really exclusionary and how it's something I experienced a lot when I first moved to Oly, when nearly everyone I knew were friends with other people and how they would often talk about things I had no context for. Most times I felt unwelcome and unwanted, and other shitty feelings.
I've also been thinking a lot about how I inadvertently--or otherwise--close people out of conversations by not giving a little background knowledge. I try to be super conscious when there are new folks in a group of people I'm familiar with. I often just avoid talking about things that need a lot of contextualising because I can talk about those things later. And there are new people I should be making an effort to get to know. Or this is what my home training tells me.
I also think about people I know who are really great at enfolding new people into their friend groups and making them feel really welcome. I try to model my inclusionary behaviours off of them. It's an art, and definitely one I need to practise more. Some folks I know could do with a few lessons as well....
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