Connection

I rode down in the elevator with a coworker who is becoming a friend. And though when we arrived at the first floor, I zoomed off, needing to negotiate complex family arrangements that depended upon my getting home quickly, I thought a lot about how rare that trip in the elevator had been. Rare, not because of any profound conversation we had undertaken, but rare because there was simple connection. We were leaving at the same time, and we chose to ride down in the elevator together. And when I had to zoom away, it mattered enough to me to write later and apologize for my haste.
 
One of the things I've learned from jobs ending is that connection is a mixed bag. On the one hand, connection means that when a job finishes, you still have people with whom you can network for new opportunities and people who can commiserate with you about the ups and downs of the completed job. On the other hand, when the job ends, you are losing not just the job and the income. You are also losing a social network that can never really be recreated outside of that job.
 
I have been a little skittish about making connections since my work at ABC ended. While a number of my work situations have been too short for it even to matter, as the gigs become longer, I am finding myself faced with the question--do I form connections, knowing that they might end as quickly as they started? Do I invest not only my abilities, but my emotions as well?
 
My time at ABC was obviously unusual. My connections there spanned half a work lifetime, complete with numerous life events. My friends there were part of my wedding. They threw me baby showers. They were my entire social network on days when I saw virtually no one else. It is unlikely that there will be a level of connection like that again. The question is, do I open myself to the joy and risk of connection at all?
 
Earlier in the day, I got an unexpected visit from friends from my work past. It was just a matter of minutes, but we hugged and chatted, and I smiled for hours after that.
 
And perhaps that is my answer. I smiled for hours because connections I had made previously reappeared in my life. Do I miss seeing them the way I used to? Sure. But am I sorry that I connected enough with them that their brief visit would make me smile? Absolutely not.
 
Connection may come with risks, but it also comes with rewards. Just one of the things that reminds me that I'm not washed up yet.