We’re in the thick of March Madness right now. For those of you who are not sports fans, March Madness is when the top college basketball teams in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) duke it out to win the distinction of national champions for both men and women. It starts in mid March and runs into April.
This is also probably the biggest time of year where people in offices, friends, families, etc come together to participate in bracket pools to get the chance to predict the winners of each round. There are always lots of unexpected wins and losses and crazy comebacks–hence, March Madness.
So, this is basketball, but what on earth can it do for your health?
In the NY Times best seller The Blue Zones: Lessons for Living Longer From the People Who’ve Live the Longest, author Dan Buettner talks about habits and customs of those who live longest and are the happiest. One main element that he discovered was the importance of community. This support and consistent human interaction between others is a huge contributor to happiness leading to longevity.
When you think about it, this does make sense. Being with friends, family and getting the support of others can be so healing and just plain fun. It may not always be perfect, but most people who I know that are the most social and surround themselves with others, are indeed the happiest.
Personally, I admire those people but struggle myself a bit on that end. It can take a bit of work, but it’s worth it.
For me, my family is scattered along the east Coast and we maybe all get together once a year. We try to call and keep up, but life does get in the way. However, after a recent visit with my Mom in Florida, we decided it would be fun to do a big family bracket pool for March Madness. So, we have 15 of us participating ranging from the young cousins to our matriarch, Grandma Jan! No basketball experts needed here, just the ability to fill in team names with whoever they want to win (or who wear a favorite color or are from a favorite location…). Let’s face it, the biggest winners tend to be those who know the least about basketball:).
The big prize for us is the coveted “Rosbin Family” trophy that my husband, Mike ordered right away. (Yes, for those who know us as Robins, this is a play on our name from a previous family trip…). It will be awarded at our next family celebration in May when we will be together in Atlanta.
So far, it has been so much fun. Everyone was creative with their team names such as Dr. J-ill (Guess who?), March Maddie-ness (Cousin Madison) and my very confident daughter, Rachel with her name being simply, “Winning Bracket,” Ok, Rachel actually is is SECOND PLACE right now, so maybe that is the perfect name!
We’ve had daily group text conversations and it’s just been a fun way to do something together despite our distances. In fact, one of my nieces is a few time zones away in Israel and she is in on the fun as well:)
The point is that community and family is such an integral point in our emotional well being. Make it a priority. Whether it’s simply sharing a meal or coming together to help others in need, this all feeds the soul. So, I encourage you reach out or get together with a family member, friends, join a group of like-minded people or volunteer with a group.
We may not all have it together, but together, we can have it all.
And may you ALL be winners as the March Madness continues.
