Gift of a Tribe

I hear lots of talk these days about finding yourself a “tribe”. I love the concept. Surround yourself with people of similar interests and complimentary skills and a world of new possibilities can open for you. We all want to feel we belong.

Humans have been doing this for centuries. This isn’t a new concept; however, as our ability to connect with people all over the world is now a mere click away, the opportunities it represents are almost endless. Growing up as a Gen X’er, I’ve witnessed an incredible shift. I typed my college papers on a typewriter instead of a computer. My freshman computer classes were rudimentary programming. When I first started in my corporate job, memos were manually typed, copied and mailed out. Now, much of my day job is spent on a computer, emailing with those I work with all around the United States.

I understand concerns that our online connectivity is harming peoples’ ability to connect on a personal level. Are social skills declining? Possibly. But I don’t want to take on that topic today. Instead, I wanted to focus on the positive aspects of being able to connect with others online. Prior to the dawn of the internet, our worlds were usually limited to the people in our immediate vicinity.

We all enjoy spending time with people that like the same things we do. But what if you really enjoyed something a bit unique— like maybe learning all you could about collecting a specific kind of pottery. Maybe your grandparents set their table with those very same dishes when you were a kid and they were manufactured in their hometown. Now you live a thousand miles away and no one else knows or cares about your hobby of trying to complete the partial set they left you. But there might be fifty other people interested in collecting that specific kind of pottery because they also remember it from their childhood. Google it and there is a chance a few of them have already formed an online group to help each other locate pieces. If no one has started a group yet, you could start one and make connections with people from many different geographies that share a similar interest.

Or maybe you’re a new parent, overwhelmed with all of the demands on you but you still want to be the very best parent you can be. You might not have time to go out for a cocktail with friends to talk about your struggles but you could connect with others online that are having similar issues and find both ideas and encouragement. The possibilities really are endless.

Personally, connecting with people online has allowed me to pursue my dreams of writing and publishing. I belong to numerous groups of authors and others affiliated with the writing process, very few of which live within a reasonable driving distance to me. Honestly, without all of them, my rough draft of my first book would still be stuck in my desk drawer, probably forever.  I would have never started blogging either.

Nothing should ever replace quality human interaction. But online connections can certainly have a place in our lives today. It’s fun to interact with people pursuing similar dreams. There are kindred souls out there. All of you reading this today are a wonderful example of our ability to connect and share with others.

Is there something you’ve been wanting to find out more about? Maybe you're like me and want to eat a little healthier. Just this week I joined an online Facebook group specific to something I’m doing to improve my eating habits. I’ve already found some great recipes and received encouragement from success stories others are posting.

Never before has it been easier to connect with others, both near and far. Connecting with others is a gift that makes our life richer. Keep reaching out.        Kim​