“I use the Pensieve. One simply siphons the excess thoughts from one’s mind, pours them into the basin, and examines them at one’s leisure. It becomes easier to spot patterns and links, you understand, when they are in this form.”
– Albus Dumbledore
A Good Day
On Friday I had one of the best days I’ve had in a long time. It was the day for my kid’s high school crossover assembly. I have seniors, and as is tradition, the senior parents did a dance for the entire school at the assembly. We’ve been practicing this dance for a month, and we were ready. We rocked!
It was much more than just the assembly that made it a great day. I started the day by working a half day. Then, some of the parents met up at a local bar for final costume assembly and face paint. We did the dance for the kids, who absolutely loved it! Afterwards, we all went out for lunch and margaritas to celebrate. In the evening I went to my daughter’s soccer game where I was able to talk to some old friends and spend time catching up with my sister. Later that evening, all four kids and I went to Avengers Endgame, which we’ve been talking about for months.
My emotional gas tank was filled to overflowing. I felt whole and excited. Writing about it evokes those similar feelings and helps me appreciate all the subtleties that made it such a good day. I know when I go back and read these memories, I will be able to recollect some of those positive feelings and emotions.
The Theme for May
When you write down and preserve your memories, whether in text, photos, or both, it gives you an ability to look objectively at your life so that you can understand and appreciate it. It is a big part of the reason I write blogs; they are as much or more so for me than for you.
I think that’s a valuable way to look at social media, too. It is easy to get caught up in who liked your post, how many followers you have, what other people are doing on social media, or what others will think about your online persona. Unless you’re making money online, however, these should all be lower priority than the value these tools have to you. I love going back and looking through old posts and remembering the events and experiences I documented.
Something Like Microblogging
Starting a blog can be intimidating and tough to persist at. Microblogging is a more sustainable way and just as valuable as blogging. Although there are formal definitions and practices, I consider the social media platforms to be great tools for microblogging. If that term doesn’t excite you, then just think of social media as a way to easily document your life. Considering social media from a you-first perspective, and viewing others’ posts that way, may cause you to view social media differently.
My two preferred platforms are Instagram for personal aspects of life and LinkedIn for professional aspects of life. Obviously, this is Live Life Integrated; each should and do blend in with each other.
I’m on Instagram here: https://www.instagram.com/brianwalch/. I am hoping to become a little more active on it this month in light of my monthly theme.
If we aren’t already connected on LinkedIn, hit me up here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bwalch/. If you let me know you’re a reader of my emails, I’ll accept your request to connect.
More to Come
The topic of documenting life and writing in general is something I’m invested in and I hope to have time to share more with you about ideas around narrative therapy, journaling, and writing in general. I get so much reward from writing, it is just a bonus that other people read it. I hope you can feel the same way about your posts, writings, and microblogging efforts. Appreciate the value you receive, and don’t worry about others.
Enjoy your Sunday and make Monday awesome!
Brian