Glass Dolphins & Real Community

Last night, we ventured up Aurora Avenue to spend the evening with some old Bethel College friends: Andy and Lisa Carlson live just a few miles to our north, and have a wonderfully huge urban backyard to entertain guests. We were able to have a little bbq on a beautifully sunny summer evening with them, as well as with the Rutledges who joined us. Maclain and Izzy, totally enthralled with the multiple boxed gardens located in the backyard, spent much of the evening transplanting mulch and dirt from one box to another. We have the pictures to prove it:

As you can see, Izzy is sporting a beautiful dirt mustache here. Even better, we made the ridiculous decision to give her a bath before we left for the bbq. Seriously, what were we thinking?! 🙂

Spending any time with Andy and Lisa is always an exciting experience. These two people constantly remind me that it’s ok to love life with wild abandon, even the messy parts, and to always strive to practice one’s faith (rather than preach it). Case in point: Andy and Lisa don’t live in a great part of town… in fact, they live in a pretty sketchy neck of the woods. AA has a recovery/meeting hall located right next to their home (and fortunately/unfortunately?, most people in attendance aren’t anything close to looking “cleaned-up & sober.” Prostitution, homelessness, chemical-dependency, etc… these are some of the very visceral realities that those living in their neighborhood exist within.

Hear me out — Seattle is a great town for sure. But like any city, there are elements present that most people would rather ignore or avoid, then deal with directly. Initially, the Carlson’s neighborhood would probably fit into almost everyone’s categorical box of “places-you-pray-the-car-doesn’t-break-down.”

Which is partly why Andy and Lisa are so refreshing and amazing. While we bbq’d in the backyard, and the kids ran around ripping up the vegetable gardens, we had the privilege of watching their community in action. Their home is a quad-plex, and suffice it to say their neighbors aren’t the garden-variety suburbanites that many of us grew up around. Ted, a chain-smoking recovering alcoholic himself, believes it’s still 1986 (no, seriously). A consummate weight-lifter, he has a weight set placed squarely in his living room. Also of particular uniqueness, his entire home is adorned with glass statues of dolphins. Everywhere. Included in the dolphin motif are framed, backlit images of dolphins with moving water. I have no idea how it works, but the framed artwork literally has moving backgrounds… crazy. Blacklights, movie posters, and old family photos were also scattered throughout.

You might be wondering how I know all these details about Ted and his apartment. Well, I know because Ted wanted to show his apartment off to me. In fact, Ted gave a couple of tours of his apartment throughout the evening to those willing to accompany him. And throughout, both he and his girlfriend Lilly continually kept bringing out old children’s toys, clothes, etc., to share with the kids and us.

Sean was another neighbor that was at Andy and Lisa’s that evening. Sean lives in a van down the street. Andy shared with me that he’d been living like that now for quite some time, in fact, Sean sometimes would sleep out in their backyard underneath the stars just for a change of pace. Tattooed and pierced, Sean stands about 6’10″… but his personality was warm and engaging. We spent the evening chatting about life … swapping jokes and stories, while sitting next to a fire and watching the kids play. At one point, I was pseudo-lamenting the predicament I find myself in surrounded by girls at home. Sean piped up to share that he has not 1, or 2, but four daughters himself. We discussed the nuances of raising girls, and commiserated together over what we’d do when they came to the age of dating (and just what that age might be?!).

Later that evening, I found myself chatting with Andy about his home, and the culture of its community. Andy shared with me that since moving in, many people in the neighborhood had come to know them, and their home, as being safe. Safe from what, I assume, depends on the individual. Regardless, their home is to some degree providing a central location for them to minister in subtle ways to those they find themselves living around. Whether addicts, prostitutes, the homeless, whoever, Andy and Lisa are finding ways to include, validate, support, and love people who could really use it.

Quick clarification: I think we all could use it (inclusion, belonging, support, love, etc). The difference here is that Andy and Lisa find ways to love those who are usually defined by their associated social stigmas, stigmas that typically would deter many to look the other direction rather than to engage them. Both Andy and Lisa commented throughout the night that no matter how crazy their neighbors (or neighborhood) may seem, that they were finding real community there, with these people who despite their own issues, were acting as a daily blessing in their own lives as well.

All night, I kept thinking that if we all could push past our fears, and seek to care for those around us as Andy and Lisa do (with the grace and love of Christ), how different might our world look?

Andy and Lisa: thanks for setting such a great example for how to love life with wild abandon… even the messy parts.