"Vitamin H"

Recently, my hometown's zoo launched a PR campain called "Vitamin Z", extolling the benifits of bringing children to the zoo. This past month had me musing on a similar concept I'd like to dub "Vitamin H"-the human connection.

The fast-paced, "gotta-have-it-now" nature of contemporary life has been discussed ad infinitum.  It's importance, though, cannot be overstated in terms of highlighting the need to get back to a one-on-one connection with other people.  Two recent examples exemplified this:

1) One Snday, I noticed an older couple I know at my church come in for Mass. The lady is blind and can't get around well.  Her husband dutifully carries her oxygen tank, takes her around in her wheelchair, and guides her by the hand when needed.  Though I've seen them do this every Sunday they come to church, it wasn't until that particular day that the connection between them stood out to me.  It seemed as if it wasn't about what one could get from the other, but the genuine bond between them as humans.

 2) The day before my birthday, my sorority sister I was inducted with called me and told me to make sure I had the next afternoon free.  The next day, I was picked up by another sorority sister to go to her house.  There, they had pizza, cake, and ice cream and sang happy birthday to me.  I originally didn't have much planned in terms of celebrating.  It was quite the unexpected surprise, though.  What really mattered, though, was being with my sorors, present in the moment. 

How many times do we get caught up in the hustle and bustle of our lives, doing most of our communicating with our loved ones via text, e-mail, or social media? When was the last time you actually enjoyed the physical presence of a friend, family member, or mate? That's the human connection, the "Vitamin H". Enjoy it once in a while.