Connector Field Notes #17
Small town city
I had a neighbor in my college apartment who I figured I'd never see again after I moved out- until I ran into him in my (nearby) new neighborhood years later, where he was hanging out with some friends who live near me. I proceeded to run into those friends semi-regularly after meeting them.
Recently, I ran into one of them somewhat out of context and didn't realize it was her, until she asked if I knew their friend, the one who had been my neighbor in college. She told me how she, her husband, and the neighbor friend would all be running the Boston Marathon a few days later!
The very next day, I also ran into her husband, and we realized they're next door neighbors with another neighbor friend I had gotten to know from neighborhood walks during stoop season- the time of year in Boston when the weather finally gets nice and people sit out on their front steps.
I love how small and interconnected just a few city blocks can feel.
When to skip regularly scheduled plans
The Boston Marathon brings so many people into town- including a longtime friend from college who moved to the West Coast years ago and who I don't get to see very much anymore. I missed my regularly scheduled yoga class to grab coffee, and my philosophy of prioritizing connection that can only happen at that precise moment over community interactions that can happen at any time worked exactly as intended.
Routine participation in local communities is important, but so is knowing when to break those routines for something like in-person time with a long distance friend.