Feb 23, 2023 2 min read

3 Degrees of Separation/Connection

Some of the most delightful experiences I’ve had in Colombia have arisen out of an invitation from a friend of a friend of a friend. In US English we might call that 3 degrees of separation, but it is only a separation until the connection is fostered.

How I found housing in Colombia, a line drawing of 4 lives intersecting.

I tend relationships with people, with no secret agenda, just nurturing connections because I enjoy it. And some of those people also tend relationships. And sometimes, just sometimes, something delightful sprouts out. For example:

My sister introduced me to a student at the university where she works, who is from Medellín. We went out to dinner and site seeing in my hometown. She then connected us to her friend in Medellín who later invited us to Christmas with his family.
I bonded with a woman in Oregon over shared experiences, including living in Nicaragua. Fast forward four years, she connected me to a woman from Medellín whom she met in England. That woman introduced us to her aunt, who then hosted us for our first month in Medellín.
Brian and I developed a friendship with our neighbor in our current apartment building. When we needed to move and had trouble finding a suitable place, she connected us to her childhood friend who works in real estate. Within 24 hours, I got to check out and put a deposit down on an apartment.

More stories abound, including plenty of seeds that never grew to fruit as well. There’s no way to know if or what might emerge from the connections I foster, but that’s not the objective. I'm grateful for the richness of relationships regardless of whether they fruit into something specific or not. And, there might be something special about being in a new place, seemingly without connections, that has created an opening for delightful surprises in the ways our lives can intertwine.

Speaking of intertwining...I love these trees and their roots looking for any space to take hold.

PS The reference to 6 degrees of Kevin Bacon doesn’t seem to land with any of my Latin American friends. However, there is a saying here that expresses the sentiment with something to the effect of, “Oh, you know, I met her through my cousin’s, husband’s, sister’s, grandfather’s niece, Mocho’s wife.” Though I was warned that in other contexts “mocho” is slang, and could be derogatory, for someone missing a hand/foot/appendage. 🤔

From writing on Dec 27 & Feb 23, posted March 9, 2023.