where to begin? well how about connection… over a year ago i received this lovely email from a fellow elizabeth (aka lizzy). coffee and podcasts, sign me up. i thought it would be a situation where i would consult and move on. spoiler alert - i was wrong.
@elizabethrvilla met me at a moment of serious burnout and through conversations we both discovered that we spend so much time thinking about connection and the ways we struggle TO connect. these meetings brought some creative life back into me. we embarked on this lovely creative project that i’m humbled and delighted to share - @missedconnectionspodcast
as an avid people watcher (curious about their stories) and an avid romance reader, i love immersing myself on journeys of connection and also the missed connections along the way. this project is filled with REAL stories from lovely people (you know who you are) from all walks of life — sharing stories of connection in all it’s forms. we also have amazing guests on to discuss the greater themes of each missed connection story. we ALSO have had a bunch of collaborators who gave us insight and support throughout our development process. thank you. thank you. thank you.
so here it is. my quirky self — partnering with an with such a thoughtful and earnest companion. i hope you join us on this journey. we would really appreciate it if you would follow, rate, and review (click the link in my bio to do so).
may we all continue to be open to experience the alchemy of connection.
PART 2
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in the meantime, good news i’ve started ivs again. a new treatment plan is being formulated as we are piecing together the puzzle of my complex illness and co-infections. if there is one thing i could ask of those reading this is, i (and many multitudes of ill people) would be SO grateful if you wore a mask. i know it’s inconvenient nor comfortable. i sometimes wear one that says “human being being human.”
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please be human. for those of us who are vulnerable, please know we are working through extra layers of fear to walk outside of our homes. we have to be all the more vigilant when there is potential exposure. we are sifting through anxiety, guilt, shame when we risk seeing a friend (from a distance), or go to a grocery store (when we can’t get things delivered). none of this is easy. here are some flowers as a representation of my gratitude. thank you.
PART 1
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year 25 was a pivotal birthday. i decided to TRULY embrace my birthday. my friends hosted a lovely party. so many dear humans showed up and celebrated. i wasn’t afraid to enter my mid-twenties. a few short weeks later i was diagnosed with lyme.
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a week and a half ago i received test results from the first of a series of labs my new doctor ordered and i wept. i wept the whole day. it confirmed, that yes i’m still sick. i’ll never get over the fact that confirmation of illness is good news for me. i wept because i was validated. i wept because since 2016 i’ve been trying on my own to address chronic pain, weird symptoms (hello 👋 i stain things blue) and convince uninterested doctors that i’m sick. i wept because i knew i was no longer alone in my treatment plan.
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wednesday was my 34th birthday. the week and days leading up to it, i kept ruminating on “YEAR 9”. i’m entering my 9th year of being sick. i had no idea when i turned 25 that my birthday would become segway to my lyme anniversary.
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in the midst of it all there is a global pandemic. my thoughts about it are welcome and i’m so sorry. you see it takes a global pandemic for most able-bodied individuals to understand what daily life is like for those who are chronically ill.
welcome to the state of inconvenience.
welcome to the state of discomfort.
welcome to the state of overwhelm.
welcome to the to the underbelly of the medical system and health insurance industry.
welcome to fluid financial insecurities.
welcome to job insecurities.
welcome to brain fog and disjointed concentration.
welcome to anxiety over health, symptoms, and non-empathetic strangers.
welcome to lack of language when friends and loved ones ask, “how can i help?”
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welcome but also i’m so sorry. i’m so sorry, i never wanted you to experience this. i find no joy in that so many people are suffering, navigating new forms of grief, while consciously or not so consciously having existential internal conversations on how much do you value human life, especially those of strangers whom you’ll never meet...that discussion is for another time. (part 2 in the feed)
Tag your co-conspirators 😈
@jasonroars@ejoywin@elizabethrvilla
Comment JASON to hear more of his story! We’ll DM you links to the episode.
#missedconnections #podcast #friendshipstories #millennialnostalgia #corememory
We had the privilege of speaking with the charming and thoughtful ✨ @jasonroars ✨ who tells us a missed connection story that takes us back to the early 2000’s–digital cameras in the club and a friendship that paved the way for Jason to become who he is today.
Comment JASON and we’ll DM you the episode or listen wherever you get your podcasts 💖
#missedconnections #podcast #podcastclips #friendshipstories #modernfriendship
For the group chat 💖 💖 🔥 🔥 @amberabundance
Comment ABUNDANCE and we’ll DM you the rest of Amber’s story…
#missedconnections #podcast #podcastclips #datinglife #connection
@amberabundance on dating as a Black woman and not playing by gender norms.
Comment ABUNDANCE to hear more from Amber. We’ll DM you the full episode 💖
#missedconnections #podcast #podcastclips #datinglife #queerdating
We had the absolute pleasure of sitting down with very funny girl @amberabundance who tells us about a series of almost-meet-cutes she had in the queer LA arts scene that fueled an unrequited crush… Or was it? 👀
Comment ABUNDANCE if you need to hear more and we’ll DM you the episode 💖
#missedconnections #podcast #podcastclips #datinglife #modernlove
We missed you!!
Missed Connections is a podcast for people who don’t want to miss each other anymore. 💖
Each episode we share a missed connection story and unpack it with the person who lived it… and OF COURSE we find out what happened next.
Get the first new episode now wherever you stream your podcasts—or comment MISSED YOU and we’ll DM you the links. 💫
#MissedConnections #PodcastRecs #ListenNow #ModernLove #DatingStories
It’s been almost two years but we’re FINALLY back with new episodes of Missed Connections! 🥹✨
Get the first new episode now wherever you stream your podcasts–or comment MISSED YOU and we’ll DM you the links. 💌
New podcast episodes every other Tuesday, with bonus articles + videos published on Substack in between.
#MissedConnections #PodcastRecs #ListenNow #ModernLove #DatingStories
