The Sun Will Set To Rise

With all the technology we have at our fingertips these days, it is so easy to make connections in every form. Some people use it to connect for friendships, relationships, work, gaming,  job seekers, education, travel, shopping and the list goes on. It is really insane when you start to think about how well we can connect with other people.  I do see some really stupid stuff in the news about how people have manipulated this master of connection and it truly baffles me of their level of intelligence or lack there of.

Recently, like last night….it really come to light how important a connection is. When I started my journey to become a flight attendant, I started following an online forum that is designed specifically for the particular airline. From that one forum, I can’t count the number of friendships I have formed from just that one single connection on the forum. The friends I have made come from all different parts of the United States, various backgrounds and a wide number of circumstances but we all have one thing in common. We all want to be where we can be of a helpful service to someone and of course the fact that we love the airline industry. Not just anyone can be a flight attendant. You have to understand the word empathy to capacity, know how to say ‘No’  in a friendly way and you really have to be accepting of everyone regardless of race, age, gender or appearance. It is up to us to save their life in the event of an emergency and it is also up to us to provide whatever act of  emotion is needed from us given the situation…and you better be a quick thinker who can switch gears in a second.

A few months ago, I connected with a wonderful lady whom I can now say is my twin, great friend and of all things… she is from the great state of Texas! It was only a couple of short and brief conversations that we found ourselves talking on the phone and quickly connected via Facebook. From their we begun a great friendship that we both agree was brought together by God. It was crazy, ridiculous how much we both had been through in our own separate lives and could understand each other so well. She helped bring me through a really hard time when I was sick and in the hospital. She was there to talk to, be a friend, a comfort and to assure me it would all be okay.  Soon, I will get to see my friend face to face for the first time and I cant wait to hug her neck!! We both agree it will be tears and screams like teenage girls going to a One Direction concert…hahaha!!

Now I move onto my friends I have currently made from this same forum for the airline. We all connected and then one of them made a Facebook group so that we could all share the experience of our journey we are taking together. I have already been to training once and had to come home due to falling ill and in the hospital. Going back is an answer to prayer and its something that means a lot to me. Making these new connections has been more of a blessing to me than I could ever try to express. Each of us have shared our concerns, questions, uncertainties, anxieties, excitement, goals, families and much more. We are closely connected on a daily basis and soon we will all come together for the first time face to face as well. We are each excited and have formed a very nice bond. Among our group there is a sense of family already and a desire to help each other on this journey. We all have put much faith, tears, joy and not to mention the sacrifies we each have had to make to arrive where we are. We all will say goodbye to our families for a short time but its a long enough separation in our hearts and minds that we need each other to help pull through the rough days. To have formed that bond already… just by connecting online, becoming friends, sharing our backgrounds and then knowing we will be spending days/nights with each other is something you can only understand if you are where each of us are at  with this milestone in our lives.

A study that was done in the last couple of years found that the average number of links from one randomly selected person to another was 4.74. In the United States, where more than half of people over 13 are on Facebook, it was just 4.37. I can almost guarantee you that today, this number has decreased due to things like blogging, twitter, facebook, snapchat, instagram and many other forms of how we can connect. Although I do find this interesting, I still find that nothing replaces good ole, face to face conversation but sometimes when the ones you love and care about or wish you could be closer to is far away, then that is not possible. It is then we draw back to technology for that connection once more.

It is really fun getting to know people.  I can find someone to talk to no matter what the situation. I have made so many friends all over the globe thanks to the internet and of course my travels to another country.  From the Netherlands, India, Hong Kong, Germany, Canada, Czech Republic and not to mention all the great states of the US. Right here in Raleigh, NC which is what we call the ‘melting pot’ of the world, there are so many diverse cultures and people here. I have found some way to connect with those people I meet and stay conneceted to them. It is exciting to learn from them, to understand who they are as a human being and  this worlds need for tolerance and love for everyone. We all come from somewhere that either means a lot to us or somewhere we wish to forget but regardless of your own personal background…we all feel the need to connect somehow, someway.

So why is making a connection so important? Simple. You never know what difference you will make in someone’s life. You may be the one to show them how to walk away from something, how to pursue something, how to cry and let it all out, how to learn to smile again or simply how to love again. Every person you meet contributes something to your life in some form or fashion. The possibilities of what that is can be endless if you just open your mind and allow yourself to do so.

I am so thankful for all the people I have connected with!! Each of them are so special to me and they have all contributed something to my life. Knowing where I have been in my life and knowing where I am headed, I am so happy to see all these positive people in my life right now. They lift me up, encourage me, support me in my journey’s, show me that they are also walking along side of me….and the beauty in that is some may be 4,000 miles away from me, some are less. Miles are nothing compared to the compassion and empathy in ones heart. That is a true connection.

Who are you connecting with? Do they make you feel good about yourself? Lift you up and put a smile on your face? Encourage you? I challenge you to think of your connections and why they are so important to you. At the end of the day, we all should have a reason to smile.

Love, Hugs & Smiles

Christian