Social media reminds me a lot of the enchanted band from J.R.R. Tolkien’s “The Hobbit.” Like it or not, online connectivity has morphed into the “ring” that rules many Middle “Earthians.” And no, I’m not just talking about Google+ and it’s particularly simple-minded loop of whatever concept; and no, I am not going to start waxing, “my precious.” I’m going somewhere with this. Stick with me.
Most folks reserve spots on their online friends lists for individuals they know in real life; then again, I’m not most people. I don’t remember exactly how or why I started randomly adding people to my list of online friends, but I did.
Granted, there have been times my willingness to add random strangers has netted me some genuine whack jobs (and I mean INCREDIBLY peculiar people), but I can’t forget that my mouse clicks have also netted me what are arguably the five most important relationships of my life. People I would have missed out on completely had it not been for this social ring that rules us all.
I tried something new. It didn’t always work, it wasn’t always the brightest idea and sometimes it was downright stressful, but I tried again. I failed better. I opened myself up to this big, bad world and this vast, wicked ecosphere gave me something worth holding on to; something groovy. Five somethings to be exact.
So the next time you are inclined to punch that “not now, not ever” option on a pending friend request, think about me; then try again, but fail better. You may never know who you are missing out on until you do.
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