Time for Hanging Out

Sheila Liming, author of Hanging Out, looks at the invaluable if ordinary activity of taking time to chill with folks. We tend to think of hanging out as unstructured and often impromptu shared time, like I drop by your place and we do what comes to mind, eat what's on hand, say whatever pops into our head. Low stakes, leisurely and casual. And there are specific conversational advantages to this dreamy hang. But in today's context in which work and family demands can overwhelm us to the point that going out at end of the day can seem like a burden, it is increasingly relevant to rethink the pathways to hanging out. Like exercise, any little bit anywhere matters. Sheila (that's her) and Sheila (that's me) discuss how we inhabit time and space so we can better value opportunities in our homes, neighborhoods, work or 3rd places. What’s more, once the conversation in these spaces connects us to all kinds of people, it deepens trust which then pulsates through our society. A pretty serious bonus for a simple hang. So whether to grab a coffee, throw a party or join a club, the question is not what but when.

Works mentioned: Giovanni Boccaccio's 'Decameron,' Theodore Adorno's 'Minima Moralia,' Robert Putnam's 'Bowling Alone' and the documentary 'Join or Die.'

Sheila recommends... Mark Fisher's 'Ghosts of My Life: Writings on Depression, Hauntology and Lost Futures.'