Connections

Sometimes it's necessary to break old connections to make new connections.

It's a lot like moving to a new town.  In your old town you had your work, your schools, your grocers and merchants and friends.  In your new town you have to establish new connections.  Often you can keep the old connections, especially friends, but, in time, even those may fade away from simple lack of intimacy, neglect or distance.

Out of sight, out of mind.

A man I know had an interesting observation.  "Sometimes you just need to go down a new road."  I asked him what he meant by that and he said, "I have no idea."

But, he was right.

Sometimes you just need to down a new road.  More likely than not it's not a "new" road, in the sense of being created last night.  More likely it's an old road, been there for years, that you just never went down.   Easy to miss.  Difficult to make a part of your habits.

A new road you travel could be daunting for those around you.  You may have to break old ties to establish new ties, old relationships to new relationships.

The thing about exploring new roads is that you don't know what you'll find, but if you've been on the road for a while you should be confident that it will be OK.  Perhaps some of those old relationships will be rediscovered anew with new insights, new interests and new adventures.

Or, some of those relationships will remain at the fork in the road.  Forever lost.

My favorite strip cartoon, Calvin and Hobbes, ended in 1995, or did it?  In that final panel Calvin and Hobbes are in a forest with new-fallen snow.  Calvin remarked something like, "It snowed last night! Isn't it beautiful?  A clean slate?  What should we do?"  Then Calvin says something like, "It's magical!  Let's go exploring!" and off they go down the hill.

Who knows what they will find.  New friends, old friends?  New relationships, re-newed relationships.  It's all a matter of time and, possibly, opportunity and whether one is prepared to take that opportunity when it comes by.

Yeah, let's go exploring!  The past is not dead, deeds are not done, they are simply on another path and perhaps those paths will cross and cross and cross.