Pairing

If you use any type of Bluetooth device, you’ve had to go through the pairing process of connecting your phone to the other device.  You hit the pairing button on the phone, it does the handshaking process with the other device, they negotiate a unique code, and you enter the code to complete the pairing process.  Each time you want to pair with another device, you go through the same process.

I was thinking about how we use a pairing process to meet and engage with other people on all levels.  In my mind, the process is similar.  We initiate communication with someone, do the handshaking process through some dialog. If we find some common ground, we pair up.  Then the next time we see them, we are already paired and do not have to go through the process again.  There are people in my life, Sally, Richard, Pete, Sharon, Lynnel and others that I’ve been paired with for 24 + years.  We sometimes go a while without seeing each other, but when we do, we sync right up.

Since I attempt to meet at least one new person a day, I go through the pairing process regularly.  Sometimes the connection makes and other times the handshaking is unsuccessful, and I do not get the code.  It does not mean there is something wrong.  Rather, it means there is just not a common connection at that particular time, or they do not have a place in my life.

As I’ve learned more on my path, I’ve found pairing to be a great tool to for with selecting the right people to be in my life.  It’s not a matter of being a snob. Rather, it is  about being around people that bring out the best in me and me doing the same for them.  When we pair with the right people, everyone in the group benefits from the pairings.