Connections

“Everywhere was connected to everywhere else, Pismire had said.” Terry Pratchett

This week we are exploring connections and what they can do for us and the community as a whole.  I have two quite different examples which have enriched my life and provided me with opportunities that I may not have experienced otherwise.

My first example is helping at the local show last weekend and it was asked by multiple people, both to myself and to my friend who I was assisting “how did I get on this stall?”  Most of my children attended the school at which my friend taught, and she was also involved in the local theatre that one of my children began.  Well, many years later – I am on her “phone a friend list” for the groups that she is connected to.  If I am available, I will volunteer my time to assist and also catch up with her.  I also managed to catch up with many families that I knew, and an extra bonus was that my grandchild got to spend time with her pop and then me, at this event.  A great win for myself, the community and our friendship.  This day also had me reflecting on the time when I lived in Alice Springs and the Lioness Club ran their show and my involvement in this many years ago.

The other example is my connection to communities around my regional area.  When I first became a social worker, I worked in another community some 85 kilometres up the road.  From there, I also outreached to two other rural communities some distance away.  These connections have provided a source of referral and working opportunities, that would not have existed other than from the connections made earlier.  As new professionals come into the towns, my existing connections either introduce me, or suggest my name as a referral base to assist with their clients.  This connection then becomes mutual amongst all three of us.

Connections are important; our workplace, our community groups that we are connected to, towns that we worked in or grew up in.  They not only provide a sense of community, but they also help us to make other connections through mutual friends and are a great source of enrichment to our lives.