it’s a small world, after all.

Everyone’s heard of the “six degrees of separation”. But every time I find a new, unexpected connection out there, I get a bit giddy.

You’ve been there. Right there on Facebook. A friend of yours comments on another friend’s status. But wait! This isn’t a friend circle. How does that kindie follower in NYC know your friend here in Decatur? Or that high school friend know that college friend? Or that local friend know that college friend? The circles intersect way more often than I had ever imagined.

I know people who don’t like Facebook. But I get so excited by those connections made possible by social networking. Each time a new connection is discovered, the world shrinks just a little, and I remember we are all in this together.

Because of Facebook, I learned that my neighbor (right here in my building!) is a brother of a kindie music guy that we had navigate the Tokyo trains to go meet while we were in Japan. Small, small world.

Another friend, Carl. I had followed/friended him on various social networks a long time ago. Then I moved to the building he lived in, except he moved out as I moved in (I don’t take that personally). We crossed paths again and again even so. Our best random meeting? I was buying gas in Pearl, MS, while he was across the street at a store. Without Swarm/Foursquare, we would have passed within minutes of one another without knowing, losing the chance for a hug and photo op.

But I wish I were better at not being such an introvert.

When we landed at Shannon (a tiny airport in Ireland), I recognized a woman we passed as we headed to immigration. I shook it off as part of my “red eye to Europe flight haze”, but then as we passed through to customs, Chloe casually mentioned that she saw a girl from her school in the airport. Okay, yup. There really was ANOTHER family from our current hometown of Decatur on our flight from JFK to Shannon. It’s that small world. I was caught up in our landing and didn’t take the time to try to seek them out, which I kick myself about now. I did send a note to the mom in the only way I knew. When she finally noticed that message sent on a random platform in desperation, we were back home. But, yes, it was them. Right there on our flight.

While in NYC at Thanksgiving, a woman walked by. I knew her. I really did. She had been in college with me. But I didn’t stop her and ask. Still kicking myself.

I wish I still had the confidence to stop people and ask them if we know each other. Like the time I was in Manhattan on a consulting trip (one of just a handful I got to take before I became a mom and chose to work from home). I was walking down Fifth Avenue and saw a man I recognized, but couldn’t place. I actually stopped him and said “I recognize you!” Well, he was president of Colgate, my alma mater.

Right now, two of my friends are at Disney – it is a small world after all (thanks, Stefan and Allison)..