Connections

I've recently begun commuting 45 minutes (at the minimum) three days a week to my internship. Now, I'm from a small town where there really isn't an interstate available for a commute, and if there was I feel most days it would function better than it does here in the Detroit Metro. I also believed this is probably just a fallacy I created in my mind to make myself believe that Iowans are friendly than Michiganders. That is until Friday when I had an experience that made me smile.

I was driving along having a wonderful conversation with a friend (who was still in her bed making me extremely envious of her and my former life as grad student who had a lazy morning to spare) minding my own business. All of a sudden I hear honking coming from the right of me and instantly thought, "what is the problem?" However since I was having an enjoyable conversation road rage didn't kick in that morning and I got to be pleasantly surprised by another driver on the road. I looked over at the man in his black truck who was smiling and giving me a thumbs up and emphatically mouthing "I-O-W-A" over and over again.

My car still has Hawkeye state plates you see, and this man was very pleased by this. He too had Iowa plates on his car and he wanted me to know it.

He was honking and waving to make a connection with another Iowan. This really made me smile and I shared it with my friend on the phone and later with my boyfriend.

It wasn't until my drive home where I was alone with my thoughts, reflecting on the happenings at my internship, that I thought again about my simple connection with the man from Iowa that morning. This is what life is about. Connecting. Living. Breathing. Making things matter.

In today's world we hear a ton about "NETWORKING." We network online, in person, with phone calls, business cards, and endless emails. But my fear is that this networking is truly creating false connections. Relationships based on personal gain and politics, not human compassion and care.

I'd like to spend more time making connections. Taking the time to reach out, and start with a similarity.

The man in the truck and I will probably never meet, never do business together. But, I'll remember him because he made me remember what it's like to be from a small town and smile when you cross paths with someone on the sidewalk. To acknowledge the other human life in front of you instead of try to ignore them because you don't know them.

Spend some time connecting today, even if it's with those you already have relationships with. I know mine can become deeper. Can't yours too?