I post this knowing full well that some who read this may misinterpret my motive. I won't lie and tell you that Kristina's health problems weren't grist for the mill. But let me assure you that this is not some passive-aggressive dig at specific people whom I feel to be lax in their engagement in my family's ordeals. We're getting loved on a lot. Probably by more people than we realize, if the truth be told.
Now that the sure-to-be-ignored disclaimer is out of the way…
Over the last few weeks, I began to notice a marked difference in the number and quality of interactions on one so-called social network compared to another. And I realized some of these networks really aren't social. They're branding engines, broadcast networks. But — at least in my experience — they're not social.
I'm not naming any names, and I'm not calling anyone out. My data is more anecdotal than scientific. But the fact is that I've had more and better interactions with total strangers on one network in the last two weeks than I have had with people on another who live in the same area code.
I bet that happens a lot. In fact, I bet I've been guilty of it myself.
Now it's time for some brutal honesty:
- If your feed is so full that you don't actually interact with the people there, it's too full.
- If your life is so busy that you don't have time to engage with others, you're too busy.
I think it's Bob Goff who says — and I'll have to paraphrase — that life happens at the margins of your calendar. If you don't leave some room at the edges, you can't really tap in and get rowdy.
Tomorrow's Thursday. Bob usually encourages folks to find something to quit on Thursdays, to make a little room for love to go and do something.Think about it.