PQM BreakAway

Last Friday the 7th November 2008, we organized a games facilitation workshop to give everyone the opportunity to learn the finer points of games facilitation and debrief. Coinciding with the program was our departmental breakaway to build better teamwork and rapport.
We were shoe horned into groups of people we interacted less with, while I silently protested against having to work with people I'm less familiar with, I admired the spirit shown by everyone to get it on.
Unfortunately for me, the weekend coincided with my dental appointment which had taken a month to happen. I had planned to spend the night there and give the saturday session a miss so I can catch that session. As I started to work up the excitement, I noticed a blinking reminder on my outlook - I had totally forgotten another appointment that Friday afternoon.
Much to the disappointment of my groupmates, I had to take my name off the list of participants and become a nonparticipating member. Bah!
I moseyed along room to room, watching everyone practice their performances with a tinge of regret that I did not manage my appointments better.
Come Friday, I went for the games workshop for the morning session and what a session it was. The spirit, the participation was admirable - everyone gave their all just to be part of the group to learn and try out their hand at games participation.
Come lunchtime, I reluctantly made the 100 km drive to my appointment. But playing in my mind was all the laughter, the joy, people laughing about the silly things they did in trying to come up with a decent presentation. As I sat in the waiting area, waiting for my prescription, I thought about how left out I was not able to be part of the joy. I imagined the exclusion I would feel as I hear everyone talk about the breakaway come Monday morning; and, although I was part of the morning games workshop, I wouldn't have the slightest clue as to was would transpire the evening performances.
Unable to bear that thought, once I got my prescription dispensed, I got in my car and made the 100 km journey to the breakaway.
Was the journey worth it?
I saw people put creativity into play with masking tape and black t shirts to form prison outfits; the stoic and serious prancing playfully, grown men in gorilla suits climbing chairs and trees, women in kain pelikat, and, most amazing of all, three tudungs in red, yellow and green. Throw in blind men doing the twist, young ladies doing the macarena and karaoke on the pc, and you get the drift.
The next morning's race I had to miss, and as I sat on the dentists chair, mouth agape, with the masked dentist manipulating various utensils in my mouth and watching my disfigured reflection on the light fittings on the ceiling, I cannot help but admire the spirit everyone put in to have a good time.
And I guess there are people today who feel I've let them down by not being there; and I cannot but agree that I could have been part of that one night where everyone got together, put aside our personal beliefs, worked together to prove that we can work together and have a lot of fun doing it.