You know that ride at Disney World, the one with the boat, and the music, and the stars. The one that slowly rocked you to sleep at the end of an adventure-packed day full of rides, ice cream, and fun. Well, that one was my favorite. At least that’s what my parents tell me, considering I was about two and half and harbor nothing more than a memory of running away from Kermit the frog with a Mickey Mouse ice cream in hand. It was called “It’s a Small World After All”. And somehow, eighteen years later, that song that lulled me to sleep has become the anthem that plays on repeat in my head.
I’ve always known this world was pretty d*mn small. Especially coming from the DMV. And no, I’ll clarify once again, that does not stand for the Department of Motor Vehicles. It stands for DC, Maryland, and Virginia. Or what mom and dad liked to refer to it back in the day as the DC Metropolitan area, but that doesn’t make for a very good acronym. And you know us kids these days, we’re all about the acronyms.
So back to all this small world stuff. Being home to the capital of the country, the DMV is a pretty popular place, and with that being said, home to almost 6 million people. But that doesn’t mean it’s not a small world. The DMV is a place where everyone knows everyone and everyone knows each other’s business. Don’t get me wrong though, I’m not saying that’s necessarily a bad thing. You see, I’m one of those people who loves making connections and running into weird coincidences. I actually enjoy it. You might even say I live for it. I guess that’s why it’s not really all that surprising that I’m dating my uncle’s ex-girlfriend’s nephew, who also happens to be my best friend’s older brother. Whoops?
But honestly, if you’re from the DMV, or any other “small world” for that matter, you shouldn’t be all that surprised. We all know that one kid who had the same fourth grade teacher as their mom did back in the 70’s, or that one teacher who failed both your best friend and your best friend’s mom in her art class. You can’t lie to me and tell me you’ve never gone to school with your older cousin’s ex-girlfriend’s little sister. I guess I might understand it if you’ve never experienced my personal favorite, finding out that your dad dated your best friend’s mom way back when. But the moment when you really know how small this world is, is when you’re far away from home, at a school in North Carolina, a little buzzed, sitting in the back of a pledge car, during your first week at college, and you realize that the boy driving you to your first off campus frat party, is none other than the son of your mother’s middle school crush (and no, I swear I’m not making this sh*t up).
But that’s the world we live in for you. It’s made up of random connections and weird coincidences. It’s made up of best friend’s making best friend’s with best friend’s best friends. It’s full of “hanging out” with best friend’s older brothers and best friend’s boyfriends and boyfriend’s best friends. It’s full of interesting circumstances and uncomfortable decisions. It’s full of confusion and it’s full of fun. But it sure as h*ll doesn’t make any sense. And I don’t think it ever will.
