What Captures My Attention
July 2nd, 2009 Posted in humanity
You know what captures my attention?
Relationships.
I know it sounds stupid, but I want to know why relationships work. What makes one person like you and trust you, and what makes another dislike and distrust you? What is that little electric charge you get when you meet someone you like?
And what’s the best way to cultivate it? I know it’s about spending time together. Building mutual experiences. Listening. Talking.
And how do you sustain it? Across miles, new adventures, new experiences?
I just want to know. And keep doing it. And getting better at it.
Tags: friendship
July 2nd, 2009 at 4:37 pm
I’ve been amazed to create relationships over the Internet at all sorts of levels over the past 10+ years. I met my husband via the personals, for instance, and I have email friends from a TV show-oriented Usenet group who I first connected with 11 or 12 years ago. But this really exploded for me with blogging. As it starts to decline, and I do see that happening although I’m still blogging daily, I assumed I would maintain my relationships already made but not acquire new ones.
This is where Twitter comes as a surprise to me. I mean, I knew you had a blog because I had added you to the RevGal webring, but it wasn’t until Twitter that something you wrote sparked a deeper interest for me. And I have a new young clergy friend who I quite literally connected with solely via Twitter.
So, sparks fly, and that applies to relationships of all kinds.
And in some it takes longer to get them burning and some need more attention to stay that way.
This is only a partial answer, but the online kindling of connection is on my mind.
July 6th, 2009 at 12:56 pm
A deeply spiritual theology professor (I use that adjective because not all were deeply spiritual) once asked me, in her office, what the Gospels were all about?
I shrugged and searched for an answer.
“Relationship. It’s about relationship.”
You would have liked her a great deal. Actually, she also ran a support group for sex trade workers.
July 16th, 2009 at 1:24 am
i maintain relationships through FB and twitter with friends not living in the same place. We share the ups and downs of life, pray for one another, laugh, listen, share, etc.
That charge you speak of happens for me in a way where i know i am really connecting by the way our conversation goes when we first meet. We are connecting by finding common interests and listening to one another. Not sure if this making sense as it is 5.23 a.m. and i have been up ALL NIGHT! YIKES! :)
Adele