Small World?

It’s as if someone out there is trying to get my attention.

Within 24 hours, two different people presented me with a completely new-to-me concept. They both used very similar words to describe an idea that, in my 50 years, I had not heard before. The effect was electrifying.

Both of these messengers questioned the idea of coincidental connections between people being the result of a ‘small-world’ effect. Both suggested a ‘big-connection’ cause instead. Each of these folks, within a very short time, suggested that unseen connections exist between certain humans, a web of connections actually. Both of these people are new friends of mine. Both entered my life at about the same time from different directions. Both delivered the same message in the same weekend. Strange but true.

The concept is important to me because I believe that isolation and addiction go hand in hand. The urge to avoid intimate contact with the human race tugs at me constantly as if it is a huge dark star to which some immutable law of the universe keeps me tethered. What I am becoming aware of though, is that I have not been consumed thus far by that force, so there must be a countering force that is keeping me connected and safe.

My instincts tell me to avoid connection with others, when intellectually I know that this is poison for me. Recovery offers me a way to stay connected within a very safe structure.

The timing of this pairing of messages is also interesting because lately I have been exploring other tools for connectedness. Writing this blog, joining a recovery community on Twitter and putting works of creativity out on Tumblr are new things I have been experimenting with. In marketing we talk about using social media to “push” messages. I have been playing with pushing myself out there in a more global way. I have been making some interesting connections with people in other countries and within other cultures.

My degree of connection with others is affected by the amount of action and transparency that I am willing to exercise. Is that connection already there, but unnoticed if I do not take the action? Is it merely converted from a potential to kinetic connection when the action is taken? The reason that I suspect this, is that so little action is required of me to make such powerful connections. Sometimes it is just walking out the door, going to a meeting or making a single phone call. An extremely meaningful encounter can result from just one tweet or just one post.

If someone out there is trying to get my attention, I am fairly sure they didn’t mean for me to complicate the message to the degree that I just did. It is a little heavy for a Monday morning. Hope I didn’t give anyone a headache. I think I am going to go take a couple of aspirin, have another cup of coffee, take a shower and had a fabulous day.

Toodellooo.

Hold that thought...

James