Introduce, Involve, Interact...

Monday, "introduction"; Tuesday, "involvement"; Today, "interaction!"  This is going to be a great day in highlowaha history, because today we get to illustrate what happens when members of a group not only introduce themselves to one another, but when that simple act of involvement prompts countless interactions.  It is proof that building community, among a wide range of people, is possible using virtually any venue.

Nineteen people introduced themselves to the rest of the highlowaha community, using Monday's prompts (name, birthday, kids, life goal, etc...).  Twenty... count them 20 commonalities were found among the nineteen members, involving everything from knitting to years married, to publishing a book.  Check it out...

• Interested in learning to sew: Claudia, Jenny, and Kat 
  
• Knitting:  Jayme and Susan 
  
• Publish something: Katie, Stacie, Cristine, Treye, Susan, Beekayroot
  
• Enjoys reading: Claudia, Julie, Cassie P, Cheryl, Cristine, and Melanie, Kat, TReye, Stacie, and Susan.
  
• Works or worked in Residence Life: Claudia, Katie, and Beekayroot
  
• Collects craft supplies: Claudia, Cheryl, Peggy, and Kat
  
• Enjoys listening to music: Katie and Cheryl
  
• Wants to visit all 50 states: Julie and Melanie
  
• Learn to play the guitar: Julie and Brian, and Melanie is willing to trade one up.
  
• Loves to be outside: Julie, Cassie P., Cassie, and Melanie
  
• Works as teacher (or substitute): Jayme, Peggy, and Susan
  
• Good at scrapbooking: Jayme and Peggy who makes beautiful cards
  
• Married 19 years (to be exact): Peggy, Maureen, and Susan
  
• Excellent at organizing: Peggy and Melanie
  
• Wants to travel abroad: Peggy, Maureen, and Cristine
  
• Aspires to learn another language: Susan (sign) and Cristine (spanish +)
  
• Married: Claudia, Jayme, Stacie, Cassie, Peggy, Jenny, Maureen, Cristine, Melanie, Kat, Susan, and Beekayroot.
  
• Has sons: Claudia, Stacie, Cassie, Cheryl, Peggy, Jenny, Maureen, Cristine, Kat, and Susan
  
• Has daughters: Cassie, Peggy, Jenny, Maureen, Susan, and Heather
  
• Life goal to raise great and happy kids: Maureen and Cassie.
  

What's amazing about this activity is that there are upwards of 80, or more, regular readers (most lurkers) who did not introduce themselves (though NEVER too late!) AND... for each thing that I asked you to share, there are thousands of potential similarities you did not share.  Point.  We are a group of people with many things in common - possessing skills from which others can benefit and anxious to achieve things with which others can assist.

Think about it... if there are a group of us who want to publish a book, can we leverage our friendship to become more informed about the process or hold one another accountable for making ongoing progress?  If ten of us have sons, how might we use that information?  If two people tout themselves as master organizers and someone else struggles with managing their clutter, how might the two work together?  If Melanie has a guitar and Julie and Beekayroot want to learn how to play, is there a connection to be made?  Or, if ten people are self-proclaimed book lovers, could a book club be in our future (look out Oprah's Book Club.  Highlowaha is on the scene)?

The possible connections are endless and if willing to share even just a little of yourself, think about how much greater the whole can be than the sum of its parts.  If you've gotten to know me at all over the past four months,  you know I can't just let this virtual "bank" of strengths and interests sit there without trying to... cash in.   I believe in community, so I have to push this activity to its natural conclusion.   How about this?...

If you introduced yourself earlier in the week, find one person with whom you have something in common and reach out to him/her requesting contact information.  Then, initiate some kind of communication (email, snail mail, phone call... something).  If you haven't introduced yourself yet, consider doing it now or simply reach out to someone else who has.  In the end highlowaha will have a web of relationships that stretches well beyond the life of this blog and our community will be stronger because of it. 

I'll start.  Kat.  Like me, you want to learn to sew AND you have a 15 month old boy.  It seems we have at least two things in common.  If willing, post your email address so I can send an email requesting your phone number.  I'd love to talk on the phone.

Now it's your turn.  Arrange to interact with at least one highlowaha reader.

Signing off until tomorrow...