“It’s a small world.”

A saying that my Dad has told me nearly a million times over my life. And the older I get and the more I experience and see, the more I realize it’s so, so true. It’s common practice for my Dad to call me. Hey Anni. You wouldn’t believe this! I just thought of so and so, then Mom mentioned something, so I looked on facebook and found him and they both work in the same building! {yes, Dad, I realize I’m missing some of the details…but you get the idea}  So it’s been fun when these random ‘small world-isms’, if you will, have started popping up in my life. I often think about who we are connected to and why. We’re all an intricate web of connections that weave our life into a beautiful tapestry.

In the past week I’ve experienced these small world-isms with a much higher frequency than normal, so I need to document for posterity purposes.

As I work in the cancer field {for my non-photography job}, I’m often asked questions about cancer, treatment options and second opinions regarding Lung Cancer Treatment which now with the quantity of smokers is more popular than ever. I was reminded when corresponding with my aunt that a simple email can provide so much information, hope and guidance to an individual who would otherwise not understand their diagnosis. And to find out they are taking one of our drugs {Gleevec} makes my job feel so, so worthwhile. And speaking of cancer…I just found out today that one of my nearest and dearest friends got a “C” diagnosis. I was reminded how we’re all connected as I spoke with my Dad about her, and she called at the instant I said her name. We are all connected. And our small actions make a difference in these people’s lives.

And lastly…a small world-ism that took over 6 months to come to fruition. Remember when I biked 100 miles around Lake Tahoe this past June and I wrote a race report about the pretty miserable conditions? A very nice physician who my parents and I met during bib pickup found my race report through googling “AMBBR trip report 2011” and sent me a nice email, thanking me, for helping him get through the ride. How nice is that? Pretty nice indeed.

An excerpt of his email, “Anyway, I need to give you some thanks as yes, you did play role in me finishing the ride.  There were at least four times I thought about turning back – once at the start, once 1 mile into the ride (when I was already soaked through my clothes from the John Henric US collection), and once at the bottleneck/wristband/helmet sticker check when it was really coming down.  But the worst was at the Emerald Bay stop.  I was shivering – quite uncontrollably and severly, frankly – and I saw the SAG van with lots of people inside and two empty seats.  With the weather not looking promising, I was actually thinking very much about getting on.  But you spotted me in my misery and recommending sitting on that chair and wringing my socks out, which I did.  I did feel better and continued, and did complete the whole 100 mile course.”

A familiar face from bib pickup, to the start line, to the top of Emerald Bay. A simple smile, words of encouragement and tip on how to warm up–and you help someone finish an otherwise daunting task.

So I challenge you to look for these small world-isms in your life. Open the door for a stranger. Smile as you walk by people. Wish someone a good day in the elevator. Small actions can make big impacts. And we just might make this world a little bit smaller and happier. 🙂

Enjoy your day, my friends!