Connections

Quite certain that I have offended numbers of my namesake's fans in the U.K. (he's a popular soccer player), I hereby apologize to every British and Scottish sports fan who has inadvertently landed here, at my modest corner of the vast global blogosphere.

But, consider this: He and I may well be related. A group of my ancestors left Ireland in the 1830s. Maybe if we established the family tree in detail, David Weir, the excellent soccer player, and David Weir, the blogger, just might be distant cousins, or whatever.

In this new world, with its digital, global connectivity, anyone can meet anyone. The very best part of blogging for me has been the new friends I have made and the old friends I've reconnected with. This should be true for all of us. I met my girlfriend through this blog. She read it, she contacted me, we met, and the rest is history.

How cool is that? I never knew how to date, or how to meet women. Every relationship I'd had was just due to the beauty of coincidence. I'm not an aggressive man, not at all, but I have always loved women -- looking at them, talking with them, listening to them, touching them...you get the picture.

Not that I do not like men, but, over the course of my life, it has often proved difficult to maintain close male friendships. However, I have noticed, as I age, that many of my male friends have become more available emotionally, and our connections have deepened as a result.

Overall, as a writer, I am essentially a loner. Given the choice between attending a party or writing this blog, for example, I always choose the second option. On the other hand, going out and connecting with friends, new and old, often stimulates me in ways that communion with myself cannot.

That's the eternal dilemma for writers. We have to be alone to do what we do but we also need contact with others to keep going. I'm sure I am not alone in saying I don't write for me; I write for you, dear reader, whoever you are and wherever you may be. I mean to bring comfort, intimacy, and humor into your room, via the Internet. Whether you know me or not, my writing is an attempt to connect. Therefore I am always happy to hear from readers. Probably, if and when you do connect with me, I'll encourage you to write, to create your own blog, which I will, of course read.

It's a one-to-one world now. The old one-to-many media model has been shattered. There are no gods in this new world who have the power over the truth. The world, finally, has been rendered flat.

There are signals and there is noise. Send out your signals. Someone always will be grateful to receive them.

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