Thanks to the people at Automattic and WordPress.com for creating a great blogging platform for expression and community and connection. I am grateful to them for doing all the heavy lifting of hosting and behind the scenes stuff. Supporting them is something I gladly do. I will be renewing my personal service tier soon. Keep on blogging fellow WordPress peeps.
Thanks to everyone past, present and future who has connected to me through blogging. Your friendship, feedback and presence is appreciated. You have all come along in a good time in my blogging life. As I always say keep on blogging and rock on!
It seems so many people are living their lives online without stepping away to live it in reality. The lure of a virtual life is so much more appealing than that of a real existence. We find people who can’t differentiate what is artificial and what is actual.
When you un-friend someone on social media it could be interpreted as un-friending in the real world which is not the case but the two seem to have linkage in the hearts and minds of many.
People are emboldened to do and say things on social platforms that they might not say to your face. That in itself can cause many problems and can end friendships and family connections. You have to decide if it’s all worth it.
Everything is amplified online and there is no way to translate full meaning in text or words without possibly offending someone. Freedom of expression is a great thing but with it comes great care and responsibility. You have to know who you are conversing with and not everyone will get what you are saying could be humorous or even serious.
Your online life is to enhance your real world life not the other way around. Although for me I am always looking for things to blog about and to be inspired by what happens to me in daily living.
My friends it’s a very good thing to get out and get off-line for a bit. Get some fresh air, go to a coffee-house and meet friends face-to-face. Engage in conversations over a meal. If you have a porch invite your friends over for real face time. The social network has existed for years before computers or social networking. It will give you a lot of great ideas to post about.
Living online should be done in a measured way. Living off-line is where the action and adventure lies. Having the world at your fingertips does not replace having the world outside your door.
I am thinking about what I am going to be in this new year and to be honest I am not sure. The one thing I think I can do is to strive to be myself without fear or favor. Why the hell not because being genuine brings in other genuine people. Of course in any new personal new year there is opportunity for change and personal development. We all should be open to possibilities. Maybe I would like to get to know me better.
One thing I will say is that is that I am open to being friends with people of all ages, races, orientations, creeds and stripes. So for some of you millennials you are stuck with a middle-aged dork for a friend, hope you are OK with that. For some who are north of me in age you got a whipper snapper for a friend too.
Let’s see how things go, lets hope they go far, lets hope because that’s a good place.
Today I turn another year better, wiser, nerdier. It’s my 48th birthday and I am not sure how I feel yet. Celebrating another trip around the sun is always a good thing but what you do in all those trips and how you live is what matters most. I won’t be taking today off which is what many people do on days like this. Let’s make today a day of celebrating all our lives no matter what stage in life we are.
Welcome back to all the long lost bloggers out there. Here’s to continuing to tell your story. Keep on blogging my friends. The blogosphere is better with your continued contributions.
The Tony Burgess Blog 