Connectors according to Gladwell

I've been reading "The Tipping Point" by Malcolm Gladwell. It was required reading for an advertising class I didn't take, but it looked interesting, so I bought it anyways. In one of the first chapters, Gladwell discusses how people dubbed "connectors" are the reason behind social networks. They are the butterflies who introduce everyone they know to each other and are the root behind many friendships.

The book gave an example of listing 40 people in any given person's social network and most of those 40 people would somehow be linked back to one connector. I decided to give this a try and made a list of 40 people in my social network and linked back to who was the source of the friendship. I met lots of people through my friend Jared Aida...but since I met Jared through my roomie Stacy, all of the people I met through Jared wouldn't have been a part of my life if Stacy hadn't been around. Make sense? My lists looked something like this: Jovy-Joe-Curtis-Jared-Stacy

What was interesting about my social circle, was that 12 of my closest friends had no connector...just the church. And those 12 people (mainly Stacy) were the connectors behind the majority of my other friends. The church is a connector, but not for the social aspect...

"A church is a hospital for sinners, not a museum for saints."

Abigail Van Buren 

Words of wisdom from Dear Abby :) The church has allowed me to meet the people I need most in my life. It creates a strong support system filled with people who share the same standards, beliefs, and compassion. We are meant to help each other, to learn and grow together. I moved back home...24 hours away from most of my friends, but the church is still true in Dallas Texas and I've already met some wonderful people here who I know will become part of my new social circle.