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During the fall of 2010, I helped a young family friend named Daniel with his college essays, reviewing and editing them, and providing feedback and suggestions. I was nervous and excited for him. He applied early admission to his top choice. Admission decisions were mailed on December 15 — over a month ago. And while I do know that his essays were better than JFK’s, I still don’t know whether or not Daniel got in.

From small favors (“Could you cover for me on the conference call tomorrow?”) to the more onerous (“Can you please introduce me to your contact at Nike?”), we are all in the habit of asking one another for help. Keith Ferrazzi’s bestselling Never Eat Alone highlighted our personal interconnectivity at home and at work. It’s human nature: we rely on our network of friends, family and colleagues to help us in life. No one can go it alone.

What’s worse than having the perfect person to reach out to about a job opportunity, a career switch, or an impending move to Asia, and not being able to do so because you’ve lost touch? How many people have you come across in your life who suddenly might help your cause, personally or professionally, but whom you haven’t seen or spoken to in ages — and perhaps you just feel guilty about popping up now that you need them?

Last week, I wrote a post about exiting a conversation gracefully that generated some buzz. Beyond commenting on the strategies and tips to help you get out of those awkward moments, many of you rightfully pointed out that breaking into conversations was just as perplexing, especially at networking events, conferences, and other forced-conversation forums.

Last week, my husband Eric was caught in the crosshairs of an overzealous museum curator eager to impart his encyclopedic knowledge about twentieth-century model trains. For what seemed like an eternity, Eric feigned interest as he searched for a way to end the conversation. Fortunately, there is a way to exit gracefully.