c h o o k o o l o o n k s

Outtake from the book.  Photographed with Nikon D300, 35 mm lens.

One of the unexpected benefits of having left the law profession to pursue a career that more closely aligns with my passions is the deepening friendships that I've made with people who share those creative interests.  This isn't to say, of course, that I didn't make great friends while I was practicing law -- naturally, I did -- but in many cases, the people who have remained good friends have a serious creative side, a deep interest in the arts, and/or people with whom I feel comfortable talking about my own artistic interests. Still, it seems that since leaving my corporate life behind, my circle of friends who share a passion for art and creativity has widened considerably.

The other thing I'm learning is that the creative community (both locally and online) tends to be amazingly tight-knit, and wonderfully welcoming. When I think of what I've managed to accomplish over the last 8 months or so since I turned in my resignation, everything can be invariably traced back to a friend who knew a friend and called to put in a good word, or who heard from another friend that they were looking for some help and thought I could be just the person to help, or who introduced me to a friend who knew someone else who helped me get in touch with a third acquaintance.  The amazing thing is that the wonderful opportunities that seemed to magically unfold were all organic -- it wasn't like I was necessarily seeking out any particular projects, but I opened myself up to the possibility that favourable circumstances would find me, and that I would be able to do the same for people who needed a break.  And lo and behold, because of the good people in my life, things started falling into place, and I was likewise able to help others out as well.  It has all been very ... uncanny.

This has me thinking about how interconnected we all are, whether or not we're steeped in social media, or well-connected in our local communities, or simply have a few fast friends.  Remember that game Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon, where supposedly any actor can be linked to Kevin Bacon through relationships with no more than 6 other actors?  I'm actually starting to believe that the truth is, we're ALL related within 6 degrees (and for those of us who have our own little corner of the internet, perhaps just 2 degrees).

And if that's true (and that peace and happiness are contagious), it seems that in these crazy times, it becomes even more important to try to live mindfully -- not to mention, to figure out how to hone our superpowers.  Because it seems to me that we all have the power to help each other -- even those of us who might be two or three degrees apart.

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(By the way, related to the above reference to my circle of creative friends expanding:  if you enjoyed the images from this post, then be sure to click over to Katherine's post, and scroll down to watch the video.  You'll get to see what that body paint really said.)

Happy Love Thursday, all.  Please leave stories or links to your words and images of love in the comments below.

And remember: if you on the receiving end of an act of love today, don't forget to pass it on.

Song:  Imagine, as performed by Eva Cassidy