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?

In 5 years from now, will you remember what you did yesterday? What about the day before that? Or the day before that?

In 5 years I think I probably will remember today, yesterday, and the day before. These are times to be remembered. My university's faculty have begun a strike due to unsuccessful negotiations with the administration. It has certainly been an interesting time. Watching how others react to the situation has been like a case study. I'd like to think that I will be able to learn some sort of lesson from the current status here on campus. I will have to wait and see what lesson that will be.

If you could offer a newborn child only one piece of advice, what would it be?

Learn something new everyday.

What areas of my life am I short-changing?

This question strikes a cord with me because I feel like I (like most others in my age range) overextend myself. Even more than that, others expect that we overextend ourselves. There are things that I let go of simply because I don't have the energy to do them. My apartment, that I've sat in for most of the day today, is a disaster. It did not become this way without my knowing, I have just put it off because there are more pressing matters in my life. I'll get to it eventually (before Monday because staff training begins and people will be coming here). I also have tons of half-read books because I move on to new ones when I become bored.

I sacrifice "me time" every week day.
I neglect homework on a regular basis.
I have week old dishes in the sink.

I let things go. Period. In these busy times of constantly juggling, it feels impossible to keep all of the balls in the air.

The thing that I most dislike short-changing are my friendships that are not "tangible" (read those with people not in a 20-minute circumference of myself). I feel guilty every time I see a missed call from one of my friends and even family members that I don't see often. Unfortunately, I just don't always make the time. I need to stop making excuses, be there, be present for everyone that's important.

I'd also like to think that I'm not alone in this. A question to everyone (myself included):

When do you realize your mistake and give back the change?

Purpose

I decided to jump on the blog bandwagon. Rather than just writing about my day-to-day life (though inevitably it will surface throughout) I wanted there to be a purpose or guide to my blogs. So I will structure my blogs based on a prompt that I find somewhere, whether a prompt list, something I have read, something someone else poses, or from some other sort. If you are reading this, please bare with me that it may not be that exciting.

First Prompt: "What 5 things do you want to do on your next birthday?"

I have almost 4 months until my next birthday. If I had to choose what I would be doing then now, I would have to say I would love to be home at Nana & Papa's house sitting at the long table with my cousins. We would have Pumpkin Pie instead of cake (that's what happens for Turkey Day babies) and we wouldn't be able to fit the candles on this year. However, living in Michigan now, that probably won't happen.

Instead I'd like to:

1. Spend time reflecting by myself in the morning. Probably with coffee in my bed.
2. Set some goals for the year. Being on Thanksgiving Day, I can reflect on the good things that happened this year and where I'd like to be by my next birthday.
3. Have a physical connection with someone else. Be it family or a total stranger, physical connection is important.
4. Buy myself a new book.
5. Cuddle up with a blanket, a glass of wine, and maybe a friend and watch a good movie.