Friendship - I'm a 'connector'

David recently (as in a few months ago...) read The Tipping Point. This was his first time reading it and he thoroughly enjoyed the book. (If you haven't read it, you should pick it up).

In the middle of us reading one night (him reading The Tipping Point and me, no doubt, reading some overly touted book for Book Club...), he exclaimed, "Holy crap, you're a connector."

Now, I read the Tipping Point in, like, 2003, so it had been a while. I asked him, "What do you mean?"

Here is the definition of a "connector," according to Malcolm Gladwell:
Connectors are said by author Malcolm Gladwell to be people in a community who know large numbers of people and who are in the habit of making introductions. A connector is essentially the social equivalent of a computer network hub. Connectors usually know people across an array of social, cultural, professional, and economic circles, and make a habit of introducing people who work or live in different circles.

Now, there a few times that I completely see where David is coming from, but I have to really agree with this assessment. I've never been shy about calling someone up that I haven't spoken to in YEARS and wondering if they want to meet for a happy hour. I've never been shy about asking for favors from people I haven't known very well. In fact, I've just never been SHY. I'm outgoing and probably consistently overstep my bounds. I am, indeed, a connector.

It's funny, but when people see how many friends I have on Facebook, they usually scoff. They think I'll just friend ANYONE. I will NOT just friend anyone. You could name ANYONE on my friend list on Facebook and I could tell you at least two random facts about them that I have stored in my head that are NOT on their Facebook pages. Here, let's do a random draw using Facebook's random friend generator on your profile page. David? Be my witness:

* Shelley Smith - (friend since 2000) Thanks Facebook. Shelley absolutely loves the color yellow and is obsessed with all things penguins. She also thinks pirates are awesome.
* Carolyn Petz - (friend since 2010) Carolyn lives in Denver, is from Plano is related to Brandan through a very convoluted system of marriage. She has an adorable dog that if is in a neat habit of going to the top of the staircase and wait for you to throw the ball to him. He will do this repeatedly. Carolyn can drink ANYONE under the table.
* Emily Medley - (friend since 2007) Thanks Facebook again! Emily is engaged David's best friend Travis. She has a passion for art history that is only coupled with her love for knitting and all things crafty. She also secretly played WOW for a while. BAM.
* Kyle Turner - (friend since 1998) Kyle once saved the life of my best friend Brandan (then Brandy) Dullum after our fall concert. A monitor was falling off of a shelf and he put himself in harm's way to save Brandan's head. In other words, a stand out individual. Even though he's a skinny white kid, he's got mad skills on the basketball court.
* Emily Claire (otherwise known as Holden) - (friend since 2006) Emily is David's cousin. She is obsessed with pug puppies. She's a champion sewer and is probably one of the more athletic people I know, having completed many a running competition and I believe an Olympic-sized triathlon. Emily is also the person that got me into Team in Training.
* Natalie Boehm - (friend since 2009) Natalie was one of my bridesmaids mostly because we see eye-to-eye on many things. Such as: Awesome music. She plays kickball like a champ and always pulls her emergency brake when she parks her car. No matter the incline. Natalie is also the best baker of all of my friends.
* Ashley Lee - (friend since 1990? 1991? Dang, a long time) Ashley is a constant reader of this blog (hey Ash!) Ashley loves few things as much as Sondheim and British serial comedies. She can quote most of Flying Circus from heart. And the only man I think she would ever leave her husband for would be Harry Connick Jr.
* Luke Zimmermann - (friend since 2007) Luke now lives in Washington D.C. and is, I would say, equally as obsessed with sports as my husband. Luke loves arguing about which burger place in Austin is the best (he claims Casino el Camino). He also not only plays multiple musical instruments, but is amazing at singing like an emo kid. Something he displays well during Rock Band.
* Danny Davis - (friend since 2007) Well, Danny is a loyal reader too. Pretty amazing that Facebook randomly picked two loyal readers and one occasional reader of my blog. Random. So, thanks Facebook again? Danny is an old-school journalist who would rather gouge his eyes out with a spoon than work for Gannett. The University of Montata sports teams have practically taken a hit out on him for some exposing articles that he wrote during his tenure at the Kaimen. Also notable that he loves Michael Jackson and owns a vinyl of Thriller (maybe I gave it to him because we had a duplicate?) and is a big Hillary Clinton supporter (is that still true, Danny?)
* Erica Coffman - (friend since 1990) Erica actually used to be my babysitter when I was a kid. She's a neighbor of mine and her parents and my parents are really close. Erica is awesome at skiing, but she's also extremely skilled at volleyball. She's practically common-law married to a guy up in Montana (Danny - you and Erica should be friends!) and never plans to move back to Texas because she fell in love with the Great White North Jr. She maintained a 4.0 at UT, which I think is admirable.

So, on that note, if I haven't randomly proved that I'm a connector, I don't know what. According to Gladwell, only one in several thousand people are considered true connectors. I think what made me think of this is I have felt like a good friend to a few people today. Maybe I'm becoming a better person, afterall!

Here are some "inspirational friendship quotes" that I will leave you with.

"A real friend is one who walks in when the rest of the world walks out."

"A friend is someone who knows the song in your heart, and can sing it back to you when you have forgotten the words."

"A friend is one who believes in you when you have ceased to believe in yourself."

"It's the friends you can call up at 4am that matter."

"Grief can take care of itself, but to get the full value of joy you must have somebody to divide it with."

"The best mirror is an old friend."

"I find friendship to be like wine, raw when new, ripened with age, the true old man's milk and restorative cordial."

"No soul is desolate as long as there is a human being for whom it can feel trust and reverence."

"When friends stop being frank and useful to each other, the whole world loses some of its radiance."

"If all my friends were to jump off a bridge, I wouldn't jump with them, I'd be at the bottom to catch them"

"Everyone hears what you say. Friends listen to what you say. Best friends listen to what you don't say."

"Friend derives from a word meaning "free." A friend is someone who allows us the space and freedom to be."