I left my house at 10am on Friday morning and didn’t get back until 6pm Sunday night. What struck me while driving home was just how many different emotions I experienced in the span of about 72 hours. I went through everything from sadness and anger while helping a dear friend move (due to her pending divorce) to the enjoyment and fun of playing in a pool with my nephew and niece to fear and confusion when woken out of a dead sleep at 4:30am to move my car into shelter head of an approaching storm to just about any other emotional state you can think of.
The other thing that really stands out to me was how nice it was to actually see folks in person – some that I haven’t seen in a long time. Even a former coworker I used to butt heads with daily was a pleasant surprise. I even had a couple good chats with my mother! Social media is great, blogs are great, but at the end of the day there really is no way to hug someone via Facebook. There is no way to buy someone a drink via Snapchat (at least I don’t think there is- I’m too old for that app!). I’ve written before about “disconnected connectivity” and I’m certainly not alone- I see more and more articles all the time about how social media can make us lonely, sadder, and jealous of what we think others have. I’m not about to go throw my laptop out the window or my smartphone into the trash, but the next time someone invites you out for coffee, lunch, whatever, take them up on it. I know I will.