Today was my last official day serving the school district where I have worked for the last eleven years. For the last twenty days, I have been met with an outpouring of love and appreciation from so many wonderful people. I have received cards, letters, smiles, handshakes, gifts of all kinds, and have been honored by meals and gatherings with colleagues and friends. Why is this so remarkable? It’s remakable because the RELATIONSHIPS are the evidence of an investment in the pure celebration of our shared existence. What is truly remarkable is the realization that I will no longer share the common physical space with so many wonderful and innovative people on a daily basis. “So what?” you ask. This is what . . .

When we find those who make us better than we were before knowing them, we must strive to strengthen the conduits that form linkages between our respective nodes. If distance becomes the barrier, then time must adapt to allow relationships to continue their development in new ways. If time is the barrier, then protection of the premium (i.e., time) and coordination of shared contexts will facilitate the reunion of the kindred spirits. So who’s already headed for NECC? Is there a local conference that some may attend? Can I be invited to present in your district and take time out for us to connect?

Then what of the new frontier? In this new culture and climate I have expectations to locate all of the “early adopters” who will join the network this summer. The power of the network grows with each new node that is added. This growth is exponential. So hold on to your laptops, the best is yet to come.