Contacts and Connections
creating, and deepening, what brings us and binds us together...
Back when my dad was a furniture sales rep, traveling the Southeast, he kept a list of contacts (who was manager at what store and how to reach them). This valuable info was handwritten by Dad, with the result being no one (but him) could decipher the names and phone numbers—which, now that I think of it, was the perfect security system. Maybe all of our compromised and threatened personal data should similarly be converted to “Tom Cunningham scrawl” for safekeeping?
At any rate, I’ve been thinking about our “contacts and connections”. We have email and smartphone contact lists; we have our LinkedIn connections. These may number in the hundreds of folks, yet how deep do they really go? This week, let’s explore other, more profound ways of contacting, and connecting with, one another…
FULL MOVIE: CONTACT
I really love the 1997 movie Contact. Starring Jodie Foster, it is a brilliant adaptation of Carl Sagan’s novel. Our first confirmed message from another star system is received, and scientist Ellie Arroway must contend with the human forces (governmental, religious) seeking to control the narrative around this phenomenal moment of extraterrestrial contact. Highly recommend this memorable film, which is available to watch for free below!
SHORT MOVIE: RUBY
Ruby and her husband Len are celebrating forty years of marriage. Len has a history of giving his wife really odd presents, and this milestone year is no exception. A sweet, funny little Irish film about the irritations (and joys) found in our connections to the ones we love…enjoy!
SONG: CONNECTION BY OneRepublic
And this relatable plea, from the alt-rock band OneRepublic…
“There’s too many people here to be so damn lonely…can I get a connection?”
MUSIC: CAPRICE IN G MAJOR FOR SOLO VIOLIN BY SHERIDAN SEYFRIED
While I am a huge fan of orchestral and chamber music, there’s something so immediate and intense about a solo performance. Sheridan wrote this as part of Curtis’ 100th anniversary celebration, connecting the fabled conservatory’s past, present, and future. It’s played by his gifted colleague, violinist Nikki Chooi…
HEAR YE, HEAR YE! ROSE HAS A SUBSTACK!!!
I invite you to mosey on over to Rose’s brand-new, terrific Substack, filled with my daughter’s trademark cleverness and insight—and, if you like it, become a subscriber!
HUMOR ESSAY: Me Talk Pretty One Day by David Sedaris
Learning a new language is a wonderful way to bridge the “contact and connection” gap with non-English speakers, but it’s often harder than it seems. In this hilarious essay from his collection of the same name, David is in Paris, trying hard to learn French. Sedaris’ classmates are from many different countries, and their teacher is equally contemptuous of them all. ("You exhaust me with your foolishness and reward my efforts with nothing but pain, do you understand me?" The world opened up, and it was with great joy that I responded, "I know the thing what you speak exact now. Talk me more, plus, please, plus.")
This is for everyone who has felt they were drowning in a foreign language class…
BLOG PREVIEW: WHIMSY AND WEIRDNESS
When you read a NYT story about how to live a happy life (one tip is “create weird rituals”) the same week as you stumble upon a TikTok comment thread of whimsical things people say and do, this is the result…
INSPIRATIONAL QUOTE OF THE WEEK:
“Writers are magpies by nature, always collecting shiny things, storing them away and looking for connections of things.”
John Connolly
Irish mystery writer Connolly hits the nail on the head, I think. We writer/magpies try to collect and save our experiences and observations, assembling them into our stories. As we ALL write another chapter of our Books of Life this week, may you find some real gems to share with the world!