Social media keeps us connected to friends, family and acquaintances from all parts of the world. It is fascinating to have this connection right at our very own finger tips. Remember when writing letters was the only way to reach people? Then everything evolved: telegraphs, the telephone, morse code on the radio, email, fax machines, pagers, cell phones and now here we are, socially connected. If we need to get in touch with someone, the only struggle we may encounter is a bad wifi connection. Other than that, it’s amazing how quickly we can connect to someone.

A friend reached out to me via text the other day saying she needed one of our '“epic texts about how awful 15 year old girls can be”. When I replied, I listed seven reasons why today, for our 15 year olds, is just that much harder than when we were 15 because we were not awful at all (yeah, right!). One of the reasons on my list was that “social media is the devil.” Wait a minute, didn’t I just get finished saying that social media was a tool that was fascinating? And now I am calling it the devil.

Yes, social media is a double-edged sword. On one hand, we can delight in seeing Jimmy’s new puppy on Instagram and on the other hand, we now want a puppy because Jimmy’s life looks so complete - all because of his new puppy. The comparisons we make between our lives and those we see on social media is truly pathetic. And influencers know that were are all searching for a connection. It’s human nature for us to find commonalities with everyone. Even with those we don’t even know.

Connection is such a vital force for humans to survive. Vital force sounds so powerful, like Hercules. But ironically, vital force, as mighty as it sounds, involves vulnerability, the willingness to share and softening of the heart. A big part of what keeps us going, besides food, water, shelter and clothing is connection. Without it, we are merely breathing.

Connection (Part 1) was a post about the awareness of the power in connections. Identifying sliding door moments could be life game changers. Being aware of how connections effect us will help us live our lives less randomly. Connectors (Part 2) was a post about recognizing, acknowledging and appreciating the people who have connected us. Connectors help shape our lives and/or give us the chance to live a better version of ourselves. In this post, Connection (Part 3), we notice how many opportunities we get, on any given day, to connect with others. Social media alone counts for hundreds of daily opportunities. We can see an image on Instagram and laugh, cry, cheer on, offer support, disregard and/or even hate the sight of it. Regardless, these images are shared on a platform and vulnerability is on the table for all to see, judge, accept or reject. When we scroll thru our feed, we make the quickest decisions to connect or not before we move onto the next image. When we feel a real connection, not only do we double tap to “heart” the image, but we stop to write a comment. In turn, the person who wrote the post feels connected to the commenter. However small this transaction may seem, the connection is established.

Let’s say someone doesn’t partake in social media (that in itself is a giant feat!), there are many other daily opportunities to connect with others. For example, thru books, friends, churches, school, work, stores, dating apps, restaurants, dancing, photo albums, the newspaper, lines at the bank or the gas station, watching the news, family, poetry, talking to a neighbor, TV shows, hiking, movies, art, shopping online, the local bingo hall, quotes etc. Anytime we’re doing anything, we have chances to find another person to connect with. I think of these moments as mini thoughtful pinches sent to us from whomever we consider a higher power; in my case, I believe they’re from God. Each person can freely choose to act upon the chance connection or not. One thing I will share is that the more receptive I am to making connections, the happier I am. Like Lucille Ball says…

This is a quote found in one of the squares in the photo at the beginning of the post. While some people may not agree with Stephen Covey’s thoughts, I think choosing to connect with people is a decision. Every human can choose to be vulnerable and they can be willing to share and they can soften their heart. Or we can just as easily skip an opportunity (or hundreds). Nothing bad is going to happen if we skip these opportunities. My thought is if we know that connection is part of what keeps us alive and we’re usually happy when we find a connection, then why not decide to live life less randomly? Why not feel validated with our peeps and why not connect with as many people as we can? Do it!

Pinches,

Barb