On Connections and Disconnections

Creating results greater than the sum of the parts (Synergies) implies that you are making connections.

For part of January, our broadband was down. The disconnection seemed profound at the time. For more than a week, I was more distracted by the disconnect than even the distractions of being connected. I managed to do work by cobbling together time with my laptop at various outlets with WiFi, cafes, the library, until finally home base was back live. So there’s deep gratitude for the connection, but also awareness of just how hooked I am to this world of online connections.

Worried about the disconnect, it seemed overwhelming to give myself over to creating, to the projects that begged for attention. This made me aware of online connection as a kind of addiction.  Here are several lessons that arose from the disconnect:

  • Be aware of, and wary of, your addictions.
  • Learn the backup systems and have several options in place.
  • Call for help sooner.
  • Don’t worry if you can’t connect. You’re probably not missing much anyway.
  • Step out into the real world and do analogue for awhile as a refreshing break.
  • Make your connections in other ways. Remember face to face?

Shortly after our outage, I had the great fortune of taking a yoga session for “the seasoned body” with a master teacher and friend. The reconnections that the class sparked within were amazing. How disconnected I had been from my own body, even though it is the vessel for doing things in this world. Going through the stretches, releases, and alignments, I suddenly felt like I’d rediscovered a connection, a vein of creative flow.  The body disconnect was not even something that I noticed!

As my friends and mentors, Judith and Jim say, “Because it’s all in the connection.” That’s their email signature, and a profound statement of the soft sell marketing approach that is also their signature.

As I write this on the newly designed blog (the old theme seemed to have a vulnerability and a page of mine was hacked/hijacked), I am happily connected and also reaching out to make connections. It’s better than being disconnected.  But that said, it seems like the last lesson needs to be: Make the occasional conscious  decision to disconnect so that you can give yourself over to the creative projects and manifesting the gifts and greatness that are the living embodiment of “Living Your Legacy!”