An End to the Beginning

Much to my shame I must admit that I do in fact watch Adam Sandler movies. I think the best of them all is Reign Over Me, but for sheer laughter I rather enjoy Happy Gilmore. In the movie Happy Gilmore, Adam Sandler’s character is having trouble putting because he is a former “hockey player” and can’t quite get used to the adjustments necessary for going from a slap-shot to a putt. One piece of advice given to Happy Gilmore is for him to enter a “happy place.”

We all have “Happy Places.” For some it’s a comfortable room; for others it’s a darkened movie theater. As for me, my “happy place” has always been a coffee shop. That is why I write this post. My happy place is no more. What do I mean?

Stranger > Acquaintance > Friendship > Best Friends > Family

The title of this blog is a small and extremely succinct progression of interpersonal relationships. For most people they will agree right away that this seems to be the normal progression of how humanity in the North American and Western culture progresses to deeper and more meaningful relationships. Admittedly, there are exceptions to this progression. There may be certain circumstances that might prevent the progress, or that propel a relationship further along by skipping a step. Either way, most people would agree with this progression.

There is a popular commercial that is circulating on the Internet advertising Google+ called “Google+: Circles Love Story”. The commercial is a split screen of a man and woman using Google+ circles to define their relationship. The commercial begins with the creation of a “circle” of people and progresses from “creeper” to “maybe” to “keepers.” The reason the commercial is so captivating is because it points to the natural and often experienced reality of relational progression. It hits us right where we are and confirms our suspicions and our experiences. See commercial below.