{the bite of us}

I've had this topic on my heart for most of March.  I've rung it out like a wet towel.  I've set it on a shelf only to step back and adjust its angle then re-position it once more.  I've folded it like a fitted sheet.  Working arduously right up until the last fold and then, curses, untwisting begins the process all over.  Eventually, it rests crumple-wadded.  Stuffed in the corner. Of my mind. Of my actions.  Of me.

Social.  It's a skill.  Some scoot right out into this world breathing just to connect.  It's in them. Their very person gains energy and emotion and eeks out empathy in relations.  Others slip around and wait on the backside.  Ducking and swerving, hoping social sits a few seats down from them. Matter of fact, an entirely different row would be even better.

And no matter how social sidles up to you, the world spins on.  Collectively we ebb & flow on the connection pendulum.  The fabric of our days stitch together, now more than ever, with the likes of both. An Instagram picture is just as influential as a hand written note mailed.  Sitting a spell on the back porch to chat parallels the private Facebook message to say hello and how are you.  Sharing the link of an article that inspires is as helpful as the home cooked meal prepared and dropped off to a loved one.  Our world is living.  Palpitating. Expanding. Ingesting the wave of more.  The swells of faster & immediate too.  To turn that away is just as damaging as packing up your stationery for good or neglecting to set a date to get together.  No matter where you find yourself in connection's swing, make note of the goodness of relations and the power your personality holds.

I love so very much the power of personality.  There is goodness in the talker and the listener. And greatness is born when the one learns from the other.  Connections create that growth. The evolution of the better self is alive.  It's moving through new tunnels and on different highways a bit more.  And that doesn't have to be bad.  Church homecomings can puzzle piece in right next to an Facebook message board.  Twitter updates can breath hope to the hurting much like a hand held in a hospital.  Both can exist.  Both can create a place for a better world.

In all things, be it behind the scenes or on the screen, sharing is just a bite of us.  A tiny snippet of who we are. A piece not a whole.  Our relationship with this big ole world lies in the investments we daily make.  In our priorities.  In our efforts and in our minds. The light in which we receive hope and the power in how we choose to send it back out is the deciding factor of how social settles into your soul.  Seething at someone else's pictures or happy moments robs you of the goodness you have in your very own.  Neglecting to make a phone call to a friend who needs you leaves you barren of a good deed on both ends.  In us, we each have a story.  Share yours.  In your best way, in your best format and from the heart of you.  Listen and look and live the lessons we all pass back and forth from one another on whatever medium it may be.  Choose the good. Choose your fit.  And, by all means lend out your light to this dark world.

The bad wrap of social media is serious & real.  It breeds negativity and addiction.  Narcissism too.  It is my hope that through these newly paved interstates that we not miss our exit.  That  we look for the green sign trimmed in reflective white just to our right that boasts "Hope & Help".  For the exit marked "Hate" is easily taken.  It tends to have the freshest coffee and the cheapest gas fueling us with bitterness. And bitterness is the end result of allowing social to take a bite out of you.  Bite.  A piece not a whole.  In each of us, we have a story.  Share yours.  In your best way, in your best format and from the heart of you.  And greatness is born when the one learns from the other.

.mac :)

p.s.  I would love to hear your thoughts on this topic.

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