Connection Speeds

We're told that our stretch of brief spring weather will now come to a close, and the gray sky over San Francisco suggests that is true. My hope is that the buds that decided to open, the green shoots that have appeared, and most importantly, the hopes that have been born will survive the less favorable conditions ahead.

Making a big deal of the weather has been second nature to me all of my life. Maybe, as the son of a man who grew up on a farm, I absorbed the nearly life-or-death significance of climate to livelihood that all farmers share.

It's also a great metaphor.

Here, in the global home of the Internet and technology generally, a fine slice of chance is what separates many from comfortable wealth and the discomfort of insufficient finances. We all know millionaires, some of us know billionaires. Most of us know homeless people, or people who are in the process of losing their homes.

San Francisco's economy has always had a boom or bust quality to it. It started in the mid 1800s and the Gold Rush, which was succeeded by a deep recession, and the cycle continues unbroken to this day.

That may be part of the reason many people's emotional cycles also seem to move dramatically, partly in tune with the local economy. Money can't bring you happiness or buy you love, but it can ease the strain during downturns.

It's one reason I always urge my children to become savers, not just spenders. When everything is booming and you have enough income, living on credit cards feels like a risk-free way to manage your cash flow. But if you lose your job or suffer some other calamity, credit card debt can virtually destroy you.

But regardless of money, our moods have a life of their own; in some people gyrating madly from high to low and back. I don't mean manic-depressives; I mean everyday folks living around here.

In the middle of that cycle, sometimes the simplest connection with another human being can make the difference between being low and being "normal," or even high. Just the kindness or concern somebody shows you can help enormously.

The disease rampant in America is isolation, loneliness, feeling like your challenges are yours alone. Connecting helps you see you are not alone at all -- that many other people face similar or worse problems than yours.

In the end, that's what this blog tries to do -- to connect people around some of the common challenges in our lives. When that works, I for one, have a slightly happier day.

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