This category is probably my favourite category for the simple reason that for the most part there’s another person involved.
It’s helped restart some friendships again, like Tom and I. We hadn’t seen each other in 7 years and truthfully I didn't think we’d see each other again as lives on the other side of the world. But since catching up last year we've been in more contact then we were in the past. And hopefully if I can go to Australia again then he can come and visit from New Zealand.
It’s been ten years since I started uni and I reconnected with 4 uni friends this year and as a result the friendships have been refreshed.
Some of the reconnection's were unexpected with Islam in Boots and Luc who I used to work with. It still makes me laugh how we managed to get a picture with Islam and his colleague being completely bemused by the whole situation. Islam was probably a little weirded out by us asking for a picture, but no doubt he’ll recognise us next year.
The marathon was a lot of fun and the punting although I found it fun years ago; it was the complete opposite this time round. I hated it by the end!
It’s really tough to pick which reconnection's were the best, but I've somehow whittled it down to 3. The first being autographs. No it wasn't a person, but me writing to the Neighbours cast for my friend Laura and for them to actually reply was an unbelievable feeling. It still makes me smile to think the cast of a soap took the time to sign a wedding card with funny, witty messages for someone they had never met. That letter that I wrote inspired me to write to other people important in my friends lives. I also wrote to a number of rugby players for another friend to motivate him and I each time I got a reply it was overwhelming that a player would take the time to do a random act of kindness. I had 6 amazing responses and each player wrote their own version of what I asked. Getting any reply in the first place is a little victory when it comes to autographs, for whatever purpose they have.
The second favourite reconnection was with my shorthand teacher Jo. It was such a fun day, and I still remember Humaira and I watching Jo walk into the hotel we were meeting, I felt like royalty was coming to visit! It’s a rare occasion to meet someone who used to teach you not in the teaching arena if that makes sense. I should be used to it as my parents were both teachers and I know a lot of them. But how often do you meet up with teachers that taught you after you've left school or uni? And Jo was way more open than we expected and we got to know her as a person instead of just our shorthand teacher. We’re facebook friends now and we message each other more frequently.
The last favourite reconnection has to be number 29, reconnecting with my old neighbour Hannah. During the challenge it’s been either 2 years or 5 year time period since I last saw someone. However with Hannah it was 20 years which looking at that on paper is a lifetime. In essence I wasn’t just reconnecting with someone from my past, I was getting to know a new people entirely. I mean come on who has the same conversations as when we were 3. There’s only so much you can talk about when it comes to dolls.
Luckily the risk of meeting someone I pretty much didn't know had paid off. She’s already put up pictures when we were young on facebook on my birthday, and I’ll do the same on hers!
Reconnecting although it seems quite scary and daunting from the outside is actually one of the most fun and rewarding things you can do. And yes I know that not all reconnection's work, just look at reconnection number 3, I never heard from the ex/fridge magnet again. But reconnection's can bring opportunities and open doors to new ways of thinking and different angles on memories. So maybe don’t try and attempt a crazy 29 reconnection's in one year, just go for one and see what happens. I want to try and do at least one next year, if not more. Who knows where it will take me?!
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