Connections!

Why does it feel seemingly impossible to get a thought out of your head that you had three days back, or a friend with whom you fight every single day, an envious colleague who you should be wary of, a want for a new gadget or a Lamborghini (That Beauty!) or just a random guy you saw at the coffee shop who just looks intriguing? Have you ever thought about it?

Well, I am an over thinker so I have done my rounds and rounds and re-rounds of thinking about this. Sometimes, I even get in a loop as to why exactly am I over thinking? Nonetheless leaving that aside, what I realized is that even if you are not an over thinker you are bound to have some thoughts, some people, some memories, some mistakes, some regrets and some random observations lingering in your head because everything makes an impression on you. Some are faint while some are bolder, making them have a longer shelf life in the brain. And whichever kind of impression that be, you tend to make a connection in that very moment when you first encounter it.

So picture this, you went to a coffee shop , ordered your usual coffee – extra strong with one cube of sugar. At the same time a man walks past you and demands a strong black coffee with no sugar at the counter in a stern voice and goes on to occupy a table. From the time he entered and he sat down, you felt anger, and disrespect, and at the same time you judged him for being ill-mannered, you formed an opinion about his background and of course his relationships.

Do you think you are going to forget him for at least a month from now? Did you build a connection there? And did that connection of mere dislike become stronger for as long as the man was seated in the coffee shop? Did it get even better when he exchanged a look but his eyes gave away nothing? And did you just solidify it by jotting a mental list of the things that you wouldn’t have done had you been in his place? Is there a modest chance that this impression will reflect in your behavior when you are in a hurry a month down the line, when you do the exact same thing? Will the thought of the coffee shop person resurface?

I see the world as networks running in the air, the minute you meet someone or start wanting a thing you build a connection. As you grow closer to the want or the person you meet, the connection grows stronger. And as they say you become like the 5 people you spend your most time with, I would say you change a little with every connection you make. The stronger the connection, the more it reflects in you. Thus, leaving it completely on you to decide which connections to foster!

Welcome to 2017 folks! I am going to try to keep my resolution of getting back to writing! What’s your resolution?

– By Devisha Shah