I’d heard of people picking one word to describe their goal for 2012 and I hadn’t thought much about it… I figured that would be really hard to do and I didn’t have time for it so, I’d just not do it. Bleh. Great attitude, right? Anyhow, then this Sunday at church I heard a sermon on Connecting and how we need to connect this year more as Christians to God, to believers and to non-believers. I was inspired and really had one of those “the Pastor is talking to me” moments.
I first connected with Social Media in 2007 when we moved to the East Coast and I was alone, no family, no friends. It was almost an immediate feeling of community because there were tons of women just like me! We were at home with kids, trying to navigate a new area and our husbands were at work. It was amazing to me to know that I was not alone and that in almost every time zone there was a “friend” who was in the same boat as me. After a few months of settling into life in my new town I had made maybe 2 friends. Online I had made nearly 100 new friends. The choice was often easy to stay indoors and “talk” and hangout with my 100 friends in a forum rather than get dressed and go out to meet with one friend. It sounds silly to some, but some get that and understand what I mean. It’s a great thing to have a community of friends online but the need to connect face-to-face is so vital. Right when I had found my “perfect balance” between real life friends, lovingly referred to as IRL friends, and my online friends… we moved, again.
I’ve lived in New Jersey for nearly 10 months now and still refer to myself as a “new” resident. Truth is, I have been hiding out indoors and not really reaching out to get to know new people. It’s definitely taking it’s toll on me because now that the cold days of winter are upon us and I want to get out and do something, I realize I have no one to do anything with. Boo hoo. I need to connect.
How do you connect with other moms in a new town? Well, I found a local MOPS {Mothers of Preschoolers} group and I fully intend to make an effort to attend their bi-monthly get togethers. Also, I am striving to connect with my close friends and family via letters and phone calls instead of the lazy Facebook chat or impersonal text messages I am used to sending. I also plan to make time to volunteer in the community via food pantries or soup kitchens or other community outreach events like that.
Social Media has been so good to me, I have long loved the ability to plug-in, log-in and join in with thousands of women all over the country when I needed a friend or a laugh or an ear to listen… but this year I am making a conscious effort to connect with the people around me.
Lord, Your call is clear that through love I am to serve the people who surround me. Help me to share Your love and be a blessing today. Amen. -Prayer via Joyce Meyer Ministries
Stalkers Welcome!