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Insights / March 14, 2016

We Are Family

Theme of the Week: We Are Family

By Ryan Bridge

This past weekend I headed out to my parents’ place for a relaxing long weekend. Our family consists of me, my two brothers, my Mom and Dad, and two significant others. We’re not a huge family by any means, but getting us all together under one roof is something that generally only happens at Christmas.

We spent the weekend doing what we do best: having a good time. We helped with projects around the house, played card games, grilled out, had a bonfire, and reminisced about old times. My middle brother reminded me of the time we put a John Stockton temporary tattoo on his butt, I’d forgotten about that gem. Needless to say, we laughed a lot, too.

I also began to think about what I wanted my theme of the week to be this week. I drew a blank until yesterday’s drive back to Minneapolis, when I realized I was leaving a great weekend with my family for another week with my work family.

When it comes down to it, I see the people I work with a lot more than I see my immediate family. That resonated with me. Why don’t I think of them as family? Why do they need to be dubbed “coworkers” when they are such a big part of my life? My relationship with my immediate family is quite strong, and I want that same feeling with my work family.

This week, we’re going to think about how we interact with one another and come together as a family to support each other in the great things we create. We’re going to be there for each other just as we would with our direct family. We’ll have some laughs, and some fun. I don’t think anyone is going to put a John Stockton tattoo on their butt, but I know we’ll have a great week if we think of one other as a member of the Software for Good family and not just another coworker.