Since we're in between the two holidays let me start off by saying Merry Christmas and Happy New Year. Just so there is no misunderstanding, let me begin this train of thought by saying, Christmas with my kids and grandkids is always a time I love and cherish, and this year was no different. My Christmas Eve this year had a extra added bonus. It also gave me a lot to think about. In the writing world, a lot of advice people are giving these days is to get involved in the social media. It allows you to plug into other writers, agents, publishers, etc. It also gets your name out to the public. So, over the past few months I've gotten a little more involved in Facebook. What started as a marketing tool, has suddenly had a very personal affect on me.
A few days before Christmas I was bouncing around Facebook and saw a friend I hadn't talked to in a very long time. Like 30 years long. He sent back the confirmation. On Christmas Eve I saw he was online, so I contacted him and we got together on the phone. We talked for over an hour, which didn't come close to getting us caught up, but it was a good visit. We hit the high points, family, careers, activities, etc. One thing he asked me really stuck with me. He said "Man, where have you been, you just kind of fell off of the planet." I had never really thought about it before. We tend to get so caught up in moving forward with life, it's almost like tunnel vision. If we don't take the time to knock out the walls of the tunnel, we miss a lot of the important things. I saw a sign the other day. You know, the billboard philosophers you see around town. It said "Don't look back unless you want to go that way." Well, that may be true in some cases, like if you're still burning oil lamps (which I don't remember by the way) instead of hooking up electricity. I say, don't forget to look in the rearview mirror once in a while. If you don't look back periodically, or even sideways outside of your immediate circle, you are possibly depriving yourself of some of the most meaningful times in your life. In this day and age when we have to have our schedules readily available on our cell phones just to keep up, it is hard to get together in person sometimes, but a quick note in social media could make someones day. I know it really was an added bonus to my Christmas Eve. Don't forget to check the rearview mirror.
Make someones day next year, Paul
1 comment:
Hey Paul,
This is Melissa Veil... just reading your Rear-view mirror blog. It's really true you need to look around and back from time to time. Facebook brought me to a closure on an old issue of bullying. Old neighbor/classmate had bullied me over the years and she contacted me.. acknowledged what she'd done and apologized. It meant a lot to me. I've found people I hadn't been in contact with in years(such as you) and kept in contact with those since my move. Looking back isn't a bad place to visit it might just make a new beginning.
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