You could say that I’m in the business of human connection. As a social worker, a personal trainer, and someone working for a Foundation fueled by honest, present, meaningful connection, it’s one of the core pillars of my identity—one of the most essential parts of who I am.
I’ve written about my connection to my family, to my oldest friends, and to the friends who’ve shaped my womanhood. I connect all day long—and, to be frank, sometimes my capacity runs low. Yesterday, my daughter asked why I’m not making “baseball mom friends,” and my immediate response was, “I’m not taking applications for new friendships right now.”
In some ways, that’s a boundary (pats self on back), but it’s also a pretty concrete—and maybe a little closed‑minded—position to take.
I might not have the capacity for new friendships, and that’s okay, but it doesn’t mean I have to avoid eye contact or shy away from lighter, more surface‑level moments with others. (Unless it’s at the gym—there, it’s headphones on and my RBF turned up to a ten.)
There is power in a brief but sweet conversation, in offering a compliment to a total stranger, in choosing to add goodness to the world with a smile or a simple gesture of connection—or even just a moment of recognition that we’re all sharing the same humanity.
I really want to hold myself accountable for this tweak, because I think there will be real lessons when I reflect on these interactions. The goal is to take an extra minute to see the person in front of me—to make the eye contact, give the compliment, ask the question. Micro‑connections, but connection nonetheless.
I don’t know that I’d call this a blog post, but as always, I write to take a vow to myself. 1…2…connect.