association: n. connection or combination.

Possibly one of the most pivotal aspects of civilization. To know people. To share ideas. To gain experience. To sometimes lead to guilt. But nonetheless, pivotal. My current employment is at a store in my town. My boss is my friend’s dad. I work only one day a week during slow tourist seasons, so my best friend texted me one day and said “do you want to work at the bike shop?” which his father owns. Only because I had mentioned it in passing in personal conversations, I earned a spot on the time clock in that store as well. Two jobs earned by enjoying time with friends; by building associations with people.

On a larger level,  possibly the most looked upon aspect of newspapers are article through the associated press. This simple idea of association has created an intertwined world through more than the web. Levels of association are extreme, starting with family all the way to people on opposite ends of the globe who read the same things.

I made some of my strongest associations, or connections, are those I made at WJMC. I never realized it there, since the group was so diverse we rarely felt truly connected, but once home it began to show. Everything that reminded me of a new friend I made at GMU, every reference to a different state I had a connection to. And at the age of 17, they are deeper connections than many adults can hope to collect. Friends I made the first day and on the last night during my stay in Virginia are still contacting me through networking vehicles such as facebook and by exchange of phone numbers. Teenagers are more open to these connections and I have made some rock-solid ones as far south as Miami, as far west as California and as close as Philadelphia.

Whether my new networks will land me a job, a vacation, or just an extra email every so often, they are things I know I can fall into if ever need be or just desire to be. They had great depth to my small town life that many people in this quiet Pennsylvania valley will never experience. I value it each day, each text, and each reference I make to each and every one.