3D Living

We live in such a hurry-scurry world and in our frantic pace it's so easy to lose sight of what's important.  We can live our lives in sound bytes and facebook updates and forget to step away from that and live our lives in the real world.

 

We feel the need to record every moment with a status update and blog about every experience.  We measure our success in friend requests, liked status updates, and blog followers.  We tweet every little thought that hits us and as much as I love social media, it can be exhausting.  It can also make you feel like you are on the outside looking in.

My house isn't as beautiful looking as Sue's.  My children aren't as talented as Mildred's.  My meals are plain compared to Gertrude's meals.  I can be left with an inadequate, incompetent, not-good-enough feeling and the feeling that my life is in competition with others.

We forget that we are looking at another person's life through a camera lens and very carefully chosen words.  I am not suggesting that people are lying.  But it's so easy to paint our lives with the very best brushes.  We can pick and choose what we want to share.  We can crop out the ugly and leave only the beautiful.

I'm learning to live in the moment.  To enjoy the here and now.  To focus in on what's happening right this very minute in my own home.  It doesn't matter what Lois from Tennessee is making for dinner.  What matters is what my husband and children need from me at this moment without sharing it with the world. 

Yes, I do like social media and for me it's a way to stay in touch with people.  It's very useful for building my business.  It's an outlet for my writing.  I've met wonderful people through this blog and Facebook.  But the problem comes when I constantly think, "Oooh, I need to post an update on this or write a blog about that."  When a day goes by and I can't go through it without checking social media, then I think I may have a problem.

Look up from your screen and look your husband and children in the eye and really listen to them.  Let them know by your attention that you are interested in them FOR them, not for a neat status update!  Invite a friend out for coffee, shut off the cell phone, don't take a selfie to post and just connect.

Let's do some 3D living today!