Reconnecting

Earlier this week as I walked out of my local Starbucks with my mobile order, I made eye contact with a driver pulling out of her parking space. We immediately smiled and waved, recognizing each other as colleagues from the two years I spent working for Northwestern University more than seven years ago.

That moment of connection with Alexa was unexpected, and surprisingly joyful. I was immediately reminded of a bonding moment we had in early 2018 during a workshop on design thinking. With a few craft supplies, we created a prototype of a smart wallet while talking about our elementary school-aged kids. Seeing Alexa this week with her now-teenaged daughter reminded me that while time may pass quickly, feelings of connection and bonding memories stay with us.

Sometimes it can take a little more intentionality to reconnect with an old friend. I wrote about that earlier this year following a visit to my hometown in Kentucky for a brief visit with close family friends. Just prior to my trip, I reached out to a high school friend I haven’t stayed closely connected to, and our enjoyable evening catching up reminded me of how much I enjoy her energy and perspective.

Last fall I was reminded of another high school friend, Trey, who had recently retired from a distinguished career in the Air Force. He was being inducted into the University of Kentucky’s College of Engineering’s Hall of Distinction, and I thought back my teen years and the classes and parties I spent chatting with friendly, curious Trey, and found myself wondering how much he might have changed over the years.

After seeing Trey’s news of a career move earlier this year, I decided to reach out to him and see if we could catch up. We finally did that in mid-July, and our easy conversation reminded me of why so many of us appreciated his curiosity, kindness, and optimism growing up. I also noted that despite his decorated military career, he was still the same guy I shared laughs with on a long-ago fieldtrip to our Kentucky state capital.

Reconnecting with old friends may seem intimidating at first, but reliving moments of our shared history can be an emotional boost and a reminder of how we belong in the world. Shortly after my parking lot wave to Alexa at Starbucks, I followed up with a LinkedIn message to her, and she quickly responded, bringing up our workshop project, sharing that, “I found the wallet we created in Capstone in some of my work stuff the other day!” I love that she’s kept it, and that our respect and fondness for one another continues.