"You CAN Get There From Here"

There is an old story about a visitor to Maine asking a native Mainer for directions. The Mainer stammers and stutters for a bit and then replies, “Come to think of it, you can’t get there from here.”

I don’t think that’s true at all. Already we’ve had people get here from 19 states, 5 foreign countries, and one Canadian Province… and it isn’t even the 4^th of July yet (peak tourist season).

What intrigues me most, however, isn’t where everyone comes from, but how they interact when they get here. 

A person speaking at one table says something like, “Oh, I’m from Tennessee”, and someone overhears it at another table and replies, “Where in Tennessee? I used to live outside of Knoxville.” Sometimes the local folks chime in, and other times it’s just the tourists exchanging “location” information.

I’m also somewhat amazed at the levels folks go to, to make a connection… “My sister used to date a guy from your town”… or, … “When I was in the 8^th grade, my mother had a job in your town”…. It’s like each one of us has a hidden gene inside us that makes us want to “connect” with other people. 

Six degrees of separation is a semi-scientific theory that everyone is six or fewer steps away, by way of introduction, from any other person in the world. What I think I’m witnessing is not only the validation of this theory, but that people WANT to make that connection.  I mean, telling someone that your 3^rd cousin, twice-removed, once lived in someone’s hometown for three years before his 4^th wife divorced him is REALLY stretching to make a bond with another human.

I read last week, they have scientific evidence of a gene that shows if we are  pre-disposed to enjoy exercise. Believe me, I do NOT have that gene, but I know the type of person who does… and if they’ve found that kind of gene, I’ll bet they discover someday soon a gene that makes us want to connect with each other…. and every one of us has it.

That makes me hopeful each night when I watch the nightly news. On too many nights there is a lot of trouble and strife making the headlines, but deep back in my psyche I feel we will eventually work that aggression out… because of what I see each day in the coffee shop… people WANTING to be identified with each other. 

… and while I’m at it… young people can learn from this. When they wander out to their favorite social gathering place in search of someone special to hook up with, they should drop that old pick-up line of “What’s your sign?”. It never worked, anyway. They should substitute, “Where are you from?”… and no matter what the answer is, they should reply, “Oh, my cousin used to live there”… there you go… you’re connected…  now you’re off and running, and I trust you can take it from there.