Sunday Evening Thoughts on Finding the Joy in Your Connection 04/28/13

Finally, an opportunity to take a break to relax and reflect on this Sunday evening. This was quite the long week with all the thoughts and emotions that were running through my head. Just one of those weeks that you are truly grateful for the problems that you do have as there are so many out here that have it worse than you do. From brain surgery of a member of my extended family to a motorcycle accident that left a young man I know in critical condition for several days, living the life you have was put in perspective for me yet again. At this point in life, I get my strength from my relationships with others. My mission now is all about finding the joy in the connections that I have. Have you ever wondered any of these things? Why did we cross paths? What is it I am here to learn? Or what is it that I'm supposed to be teaching? Or are we supposed to be building something together? Why this connection? Why now? I think back to a conversation that I had with a customer a little over a week ago that really brought things to the forefront about the connections we have. He came in to get his girlfriend's vehicle serviced and he was shocked to see that I remembered what both he and his girlfriend drove. He told me that he rarely remembers peoples names because he is getting up in age, but was surprised that when I see him I do reference our previous conversations as there was a connection there. The customer loves automobiles and has a vanity plate that says "CAR NUT" so he is not an easy one to forget. We have an appreciation for automobiles so finding the joy in the connection in this case was pretty easy. Lately, it seems like the majority of my conversations and thoughts have centered around our networks and relationships with others. I decided to peel back yet another layer of it all and figure out what is it about our different connections that bring them to life. You are probably like me in the fact that there are some connections that seem to come to life in an instant and stay that way all the time, and then there are others that are only alive in certain situations. Do you find joy in most of your connections? Is there pain in some? Why is that? Is it due to a lack of communication? Whatever the reason for your joy in any connection, do whatever you can to hold on to it and the feeling it gives you. Whether it be a smile, a kind word, or a listening ear there's always an opportunity to appreciate a connection. Seems like pretty simple stuff, but you would be surprised at how much we really do take for granted. If you haven't done so already take some time out find the joy in your connections and acknowledge people for what being connected them has given you. Believe it or not sometimes we go through life and never know what just being connected means to someone else. As you prepare to embark on a new week, I trust that you live life to the fullest and welcome the phenomenal things that life is sending your way. And if you didn't know it already, there is a tremendous amount of joy that I have received from being connected to you. “A hidden connection is stronger than an obvious one.” Heraclitus of Ephesus “Joy is not in things; it is in us” Richard Wagner “a good friend is a connection to life- a tie to the past,a road to the future,the key to sanity in a totally insane world” Lois Wyse “Joy is increased by spreading it to others” Robert Murray McCheyne “When we get too caught up in the busyness of the world, we lose connection with one another - and ourselves” Jack Kornfield “Sometimes your joy is the source of your smile, but sometimes your smile can be the source of your joy.” Thich Nhat Hanh “Communication--the human connection--is the key to personal and career success.” Paul Meyer “There is no hope of joy except in human relations.” Antoine de Saint-Exupery