Missed Connections

You know you've seen that section in your newspaper. "Missed Connections" it says. It's always something like "I saw you in your car next to me on I-40 at 2:30pm near exit 66. I was in my silver Malibu, you were in a yellow Hummer. Call me 580-123-4567".

First of all, you're supposed to be paying attention to the road, not to the hottie in the Hummer. I don't really want to be on the roads knowing some idiot is about to rear end me in the not-good way because he was staring at some girls breasts.

Secondly, how is it a connection if you didn't actually have a conversation? I don't see the connection in my example unless you count the "we were in the same vicinity for a few miles" connection. But if you're going to base a whole relationship (or even a one-night stand) off that, why not save the money you spent on the stupid ad and just go stand on a corner? Outside your local bank? Near the police station? We all encounter tons of people on a daily basis. It's not something you should use as a factor in your decision making.

My point of my post today isn't to rip on people who find true love like that. I am a firm believer in fate. I met my boyfriend playing an online game, and we've been together (semi-successfully) for two years now. I'm just saying you can't expect anything serious based on looks alone.

On the other hand, "Missed Connections" is totally the place for things like "we were on a plane from LAX to MSP last Thursday. I gave you my window seat and we talked the whole trip but I never got your name, call me!" A real connection. You know you enjoyed each others company. You know that you at least have something or some real event in common.

Love at first sight is a myth. Lust or desire at first sight is totally real.

At least, that's my opinion.

"Missed Connections" hits me in a different way though. To me, it's taught me to cherish every interaction I have with others, or at a minimum always to be courteous and polite. My coworkers right now are all virtual. I've never met any of them in person. I know their voices from our phone conference trainings, I've seen pictures of some of them on Facebook. But I feel connected to them. We spend all day in a chat room to discuss our current calls if we're having trouble, but it sometimes ends up going to discussions about family or location since we're all over the country. It isn't quite the same as having breakfast daily with your coworker best friends, but it's better than working alone.

How do you feel about "Missed Connections"? Overused, or useful? What would your ad say?