📫 Forever & Connection – Weekend Words #078

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Your weekend words are: forever and connection.

“How long is forever? Sometimes just one second.”

^{— Lewis Carroll, Alice’s Adventure’s in Wonderland}

More from the book in Tuesday’s email.

“When I moved to Columbia, SC I knew almost no one. I’d spent years in environments where community came with the institution — the college, the organization, the role. Stripped of that scaffolding, I realized I’d been confusing proximity with connection for a long time.

What the research helped me understand is that what I was missing wasn’t more people. It was chosen people. Specific people who knew the actual version of me and showed up anyway. The difference between a full calendar and genuine belonging is exactly what the literature describes as the gap between structure and quality.

Building that kind of connection deliberately, without the institution providing it automatically, turned out to be one of the more important things I’ve done. It’s slower. It requires more intention. And the research is clear that it’s worth it in ways that go well beyond how it feels.”

^{— Brian Dye, Wellness Contributor for Slightly Smarter}

More on social wellness in Thursday’s email

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