Within this big world of ours exists dozens of small worlds – well, dozens for a person like me, but maybe 100s for others. The number of circles one travels in usually determines the number of small worlds contained within the whole.

If you’re wondering if the late hour has affected my capacity for rational thought, I will explain … but not right now. Because you are right! It is late, and I am tired, but I want to keep my commitment to post everyday for 30 days – even if this entry is just a teaser. Stay tuned to learn more about why I LOVE my small world surprises!

For now, I’m heading for bed to dream about what I’m going to write – TOMORROW! Well, tomorrow came and went, but craziness ensued thus keeping me from completing my thoughts about how small our world really is.

I figure people travel in many small worlds – family words, neighborhood worlds, work and church worlds, hobby and club worlds, etc. Depending upon what we do with our time, talents, and energies, we may travel in few or many worlds. But all that doesn’t matter. One of the fun parts of traveling worlds is stumbling upon connections from our other worlds.

For example, the other day my colleague and I were meeting with teachers at on of our district’s middle schools. Carolyn conducted the first part of the meeting and asked that each participant share her name, teaching position, years in education, and where she’d like to spend a vacation. (One lone male attended this meeting, and so the pronoun references are all feminine. Sorry if any male readers are offended.)

The introductions worked down the table until a teacher I did not know shared her information. The last part of her intro went something like this:

TD: I’d like to go to Germany because I spent part of my childhood in Frankfurt.

Me (to myself): Frankfurt? I wonder if she lived there when I was there. Hmmm. She’s younger than me so it’s unlikely. I wonder if I knew her parents. Could I be THAT old? (interrupting the next teacher) Uh, T. When did you live in Frankfurt?

TD: When I was 6.

Me: What was your maiden name?

TD: A……son. My dad was a psychiatrist serving in the army, and we were there for –

Me (growing in agitation): WHAT was your MOM’S name?

TD: C …, and my Dad is ….. .

Me (squealing!): I KNOW YOUR PARENTS!!! THEY ATTENDED THE SAME CHURCH MY HUSBAND AND I WENT TO. YOU WERE ALL SUCH A BEAUTIFUL FAMILY; ALL BRUNETTES. OMIGOSH! I CAN’T BELIEVE THIS. WHAT A SMALL WORLD!!!!

TD: Oh, I can’t wait to tell Mom and Dad. We’ll have to talk!

I just LOVE days like that one! For the next several hours, I took a trip in my head – back to Frankfurt, Germany when I was a young bride and Hubby was a sexy soldier. Back to wonderful friends who filled in for family while we were so far away from our own. Names I thought I’d never forget but hadn’t thought of for years. Experiences that I treasure even though the details hide in corners of my memory.

But connecting one of my worlds to another helped me dust off some of those treasures!! So glad it’s a SMALL WORLD afterall!