The phone call woke me from a deep sleep, the kind I experience most often when I am up North. I was at my brother and sister-in-law’s cottage with my family slumbering in various places around me in the room. I was startled, so I quickly hung up on the caller only to realize that it was Stephen Hurley. I rushed downstairs, where I was least likely to wake anyone. I called him back only to hear him ask, “Where is Nick’s P3?”
On Mondays for the past 3 years, I have dropped a new episode of The Personal Playlist Podcast. Actually, the first few months were every other Monday, but it’s been a compelling part of my weekly routine for a long time now. I knew that I had edited the episode, but I somehow forgot to upload it. I had a half hour to fix this, as my show airs at 8 am on voicEd Radio every #MusicMonday. I ran back upstairs to get my husband’s phone to hotspot, as there is no wifi at the cottage and he has unlimited data. Maybe, I could figure this out.
All hope was lost by 7:55 when I called Stephen back for the third time to accept defeat. This was not like me, and I was glad that Stephen was as surprised as I was about this mistake. He was a lot less hard on me that I was being on myself. I wrote Dr. Nicholas Ng-A-Fook my sincere apology and tried to absolve myself from a mistake that I couldn't shake. I was still so upset with myself an hour later when my sister-in-law awoke. She tried to get me out of it by offering to go for a morning canoe. It’s one of my favourite things to do: so serene and peaceful in the morning, and the Lake of Bays is a particularly sweet spot. When she asked me what was wrong, I explained. She then asked me if I got paid to do the show. When I said no, she said that if I wasn’t getting paid, it was the big deal. Money has never been a driving force for me. It was then I started to think about connection as currency.
With each paddle stroke and every turn at the stern, I wondered how to explain to her how much value I place in connection. I imagined the picture I had taken of my daughters the day before outside Algonquin Outfitters- connection candidly caught in action. Everything about my work, in and outside of the classroom, is about connection. Each week, I interview a different educator using the same frame of a nostalgic, identity, and pick me up song, and something amazing transpires by connecting with individuals through unpacking their song choices and seeing how they connect with themselves. The Mentoree is also about a place for connection selfward and otherward through different forms of supportive mentorship. BOB is about using projects and initiatives to help people connect to themselves and each other. Creating opportunities to connect and getting to connect to other educators or my students is one of the key things that drives my work.
As Brene Brown wrote, “Connection is why we’re here. We’re hard-wired for connection.” That was also in my mind when, the day before, when the rain had forced us to make different plans, and we decided to head into Huntsville to walk around. When we parked, I saw two giant constructs that looked like people made from twigs. As I walked towards them, they appeared to be reaching for each other. The installation is called Reach by francophone artist Marc Walter. He created two statues from branches that he wove together in “celebration of the connection we maintain during this Pandemic.” What I particularly loved is that community members were being invited to add to it over time until it becomes part of Nuit Blanche North in 2021. There are feathers, strings and other small additions already evolving the piece, and it’s perch near the dock is a welcome sign for people coming from water and land. I was deeply moved by this work.
Connections matter so much to me. When Stephen told me that he wasn’t angry and that Nick would understand, I tried to let it go. I dm’ed Nick to apologize. My friend Rola tried to console me by writing that I was a human and that it was okay to make a mistake. I realized that my inability to let it go that morning was more about my connections to others and myself: Nick, Stephen and the many educators waiting to hear his guest appearance on the show (which I managed to get out while it was still Monday). I didn’t want to hurt any of the connections I have made with the educators who I have met and with whom I have relationships, at various levels. connections were at stake, here, and I was upset about it.
As I was finishing this post, I Googled my title, Connection as Currency and while there was no as in any titles, there are many books and articles on the subject. Seth Godin wrote about the Connection Economy. In this clip, Seth talks about the role of generosity and art in this. “Art is the work of a human being- something a person does with generosity to touch someone else to make a change for the better.” I’m not sure if I make a change for the better with each guest or with every student or educator who interacts with my work, but I hope that I do. That is why the threat of negatively impacting my connections with others unravelled me so much yesterday. The beauty and power of connection is something that compels me. Connection is my favourite medium to work in. It may not yet be my artform, but connection is certainly great compensation. Connection is why we’re here
