Connections

 As summarized perfectly in some tourist commercial, this past year has felt like one long, long winter. Defined by loss and grief, fear and sadness, the year carried with it an overwhelming sense of hopelessness, underscored by a sense of disconnect.  As the old adage goes, “Everyone has a tragedy.”

The pandemic highlighted how we took our connections for granted. Indeed, as another old adage says, we realize the true value of anything only after it’s taken away.

 The internet, and social media, redefined – or revolutionized – the power to connect.  Some connections operated solely to disinform and divide (in a twisty turn of radical mind-puzzling irony of ironies, connecting in order to disconnect). 

Other connections provided a more positive benefit. These connections kept us  … well … connected. It lowered anxiety, softened depression, and created empathy. At its most positive, it offered hope, not just for our own humanity, but for our place in the universe. 

For example, writing conferences and classes have moved online, making them cheaper and more available. Some of the best that I’ve taken (and recommend highly!)  include Harold Underdown's and Eileen Robinson’s Revision Workshops. (See more about their schedule at Kid’s Book Revisions.) 

Free Expressions, founded  by Lorin  Oberweger, offers a slew of interesting, informative webinars by masters of the trade, including Chris Vogler, Donald Maass, and Emma D. Dryden. (See more about their workshop and service schedule at Free Expressions.)  

Photo by Cynthia Cotten (c.2021)

It’s not always about work. Sometimes it’s about taking a virtual hike with friends along the outskirts of San Francisco, or on the Florida beach, or along the river's edge in New York. Or visiting gardens of friends around the world.  Or visiting poodles in Maine, and seals in California. Birding in Montana. Sometimes it’s a ride in the Tardis with a favorite companion. 

Connection is the experience of oneness. – Brianna Wiest

I’ve been away for a bit, taking care of life. And now I’m back, grateful for this connection. Now we know, connections reinforce and celebrate the continuity of life.  George Ella Lyons (and thank you for this recommendation, Cynthia!) explores her connections to her family and land in Where I’m From:

... Under my bed was a dress box

spilling old pictures,

a sift of lost faces

to drift beneath my dreams.

I am from those moments--

snapped before I budded --

leaf-fall from the family tree.

--George Ella Lyon 

What connections did you discover -- or rediscover?

Rest in Power, Grandma Dorothy. 

--Bobbi Miller