Sociology 101

Since I woke up this morning, my thoughts have been consumed by relationships. Actually, I began thinking about it on the long ride home from South Jersey. My thoughts centered around how individuals are all part of a family. Beyond the family there are other relationships. Some are subsets of that original family. Others are outgrowths as individuals encounter individuals from other families and form bonds outside of original group.Families come together and become clans . Clans become larger and become tribes. When a tribe becomes large enough it becomes a nation.
Sociology 101.
(Did I mention I majored in sociology in college?)
Here we were,28 people brought together by the family ties forged years ago.We were there ostensibly to pay tribute to the reigning family matriarch (okay we were celebrating my mother-in- law's 82nd birthday).The fact of the matter is that this family has become scattered and for the most part disengaged and the matriarch no longer holds the same esteem or position that she once may have held.
In fact, I drove 300 miles yesterday and spent the great majority of my day with my tribe, the core group who I see on a regular basis and who live within minutes of my house. I did greet each and every other member of the tribe in attendance. I did spend some extended time with certain members, mostly the generation that followed mine,reconnecting. I also asked about those who had not made the pilgrimage . For the most part, many of these conversations were casual . Time did not allow for much more than that.
I did however have plenty of time to observe how different each of these subsets in attendance were. Different customs, ideologies, food habits, tastes,values and practices. It was fascinating.
Of course as leader of my tribe, I have my own biases as well.For the most part, I had relatively no interaction with any of the other tribal leaders (my male counterparts). I am not sure if that silence was out of mutual respect or indifference or worse.
One thing I am certain of is how strong my commitment to my tribe is,our beliefs,our customs and our mutual experience.
I can't even begin to explain how preoccupied my thoughts around this experience have been over the last 12 hours. It has been the only thing I have thought about. You can only imagine my surprise when I opened and read my daily message from The Universe:

It's all so precious, David, and hopelessly romantic... 

I mean, just look around you right now. In your office, your neighborhood, down the street. There are people, right? Friends or maybe complete strangers. 7 billion people in all. 

And every single one of them have forks in the road of life, just up ahead, that even now swiftly approach. Adventures and choices that will take them, at least temporarily, out of sight, beyond reach, and eventually closer to "home." Yet until then, they're so incredibly near, you have so much in common, and there are still stories to tell. 

Treasure every beautiful second. 

Love, love - 

    The Universe
Just so freaky!