Connection.
Connections are what separates us from all the other species on planet earth. We’re connected in many ways that most people don’t see or understand. We know you have heard the term three degrees of separation; in essence, this is how we are connected and not separated.
There are many ways you can be connected with people; however, we will only touch on five kinds of connections. These are very important to know in everyday life and healthy dating:
- Family connections: also called platonic – with people who love and care for you, such as family and friends
- Relational connections – with people whom you see regularly and share an interest with, such as workmates or those who serve your morning coffee
- Collective connections – with people who share a group membership, on the same dating website, or affiliation with you, such as people who vote as you do or people who have the same faith.
- Intimate connections – people you have a casual, understanding, and friends with benefits of a sexual nature. Dating and intimate sexual relationships are connections that should be discussed in detail before agreeing to these types of connections. It can be a wonderful connection if everyone is on the same playing field.
- Mind, Body, Communication, and Spirit connections – this connection promotes professional and personal growth in dating, relationships, and marriage. These are deeper connections that can last a lifetime and are nurtured over a long time. We added this last because, in our opinion, it is the most important part of dating and relationship building.
Ask yourself: do you have meaningful, long-term relationships in all these five areas?
