It's a Small World

There's a lot of criticism about how technology and social media actually take away from our ability to communicate with one another. I even have this posted in my classroom:

Yeah, phones and texting can distract us from genuine interaction, and many apps and media outlets are there to simultaneously fuel our insecurities while stroking our egos. 

But it doesn't have to be that way. My favorite side-effect of the constant stream of communication is that it makes the world smaller...yes, smaller. Hear me out (and it IS true, y'know: bigger isn't always better!):

I have family across the country, and it's just not practical for us to visit one another.  Because of Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest, though, my long-distance family has known my daughter from her birth up until my most recent pictures of her over the weekend...and they've never even met. 

Similarly, I've been privileged (tormented?) to see some throwback photos of myself that I'd long thought (hoped?) gone. 

(Psst...the cutie beside me? My cousin's oldest son when he was two; he's now a sophomore in high school...see how the cycle of nostalgic photos keeps giving, kiddo?!)

Then there's this gem, intentionally altered to protect elementary-school friends AND the integrity of my all-denim ensemble and slouch socks...brace yourself...

And it's not just my existing world that draws closer; the entire world and its awesome inhabitants have become my largest playground with my newest friends. 

My technology-driven world has involved a retweet from Neil Gaiman about social issues...

...discovering and Twitter-befriending an AWESOME band based in Ireland (and do give The Enemies a listen if you haven't already -- you'll be so glad you did http://theenemiesmusic.com/)...

...chatting with some famous folks who, it  turns out, are amazing at their seemingly-glamorous jobs while remaining humble, down-to-earth, and outright kind...

...and then there's Blogger: if you're reading this, you know what I mean. As long as I can remember, I've wanted to be a writer, but fear held me back with the excuse was that it was just too hard to get my writing out into the world. Suddenly, the chance to tell stories to the world became deliciously possible, and while it's still terrifying to share (my palms are sweaty each time I hit "Publish"), it's equally exhilarating. Turns out, I have readers in the U.S., Canada, Ireland, Poland, Ukraine, Germany, Egypt...and I've only ever been to one of those countries (hint: it's where I am right now). 

Traipsing across the globe and telling stories are two of my greatest aspirations. Pretty great that I get to do both all at once, all through the magic of modern communication. Thanks for helping me travel the world, dear readers!