Feeling Connected

On February 28, we met a man who was beginning his Appalachian Trail thru-hike the next day. We exchanged contact info and he gave me the address of his blog which he would be updated along the way. This was his way of letting his family know where he was and share pictures. I thought this was a cool way of sharing his trip. I added his blog, Appalachian Trail 2012, to my Google reader and I follow along as he hikes north to Maine. I feel like I am sharing his journey and look forward to seeing him reach his destination.

Today starts the 2 day Upstate Tech Conference and I look forward to this in the same way. I feel like I am going on a journey with many others. This is a great way for me to see many of my online friends face to face. Sometimes this is the only time of year that I connect with them in real life. But thankfully it is so much easier because we stay in touch online. When we meet, I feel connected to them. I am not starting new friendships all over again every time we meet. I love this feeling of connectedness.

When I travel around the country, I feel like I have so many online friends that if something every happened, I think I could contact someone I “know” for help. This feeling connected is very important to me and I wish I had these years ago. I wonder if I would have been a better teacher then…No, I know I would have been a better teacher then.

How do you feel connected with others? Please share.

Image: 'Get Connected!'
http://www.flickr.com/photos/10887804@N04/3200153417