White Out!

Old Man Winter moved into the Northwest three weeks ago and snowed himself in. So far at the Bird house, a track worthy of luging off the garage roof has been tested and tried, pumpkin golfing entrenched itself as tradition, the four-wheeler runs five hours a day dragging people up and down the street on sleds, and tomorrow has been scheduled for recreating memorable characters from the Calvin & Hobbs comic book Attack of the Deranged Mutant Killer Monster Snow Goons. Life is short. And cold. O the possibilities!

Mike and Michelle at the bottom of the golfing hill. Mike arrived there via sled and Michelle via chasing the golf club that slipped out of her hands mid-stroke.



Beautiful, isn't it?



Michelle my bell 'n me

Are you my "Friend"?

I've talked with many of you about the problems I see in "social connections" through technology, mostly because I've begun wondering about myself. Am I really friends with all of the people on my Facebook account? Is it healthy to be on the phone and texting throughout the day? By doing these things do I inhibit interaction with people physically close to me, like my neighbors or the guy at the gas station? Does that even matter?!

What it boils down to is whether technology's new ways to stay connected really create meaningful interaction, and my initial response is "Yes!" I can talk with Mom and Dad no matter where I am, shoot off e-mails to my brothers and keep them part of my daily life, and stay in close touch with friends across the country and the world. But I should stop and think about what all of this increased accessibility to far away people means.

Conceptually:

more time focused on far away people = less time focusing on people present

This doesn't have to be a problem. But I think it could be, if I consistently live somewhere other than where I'm at. Often when I'm not recognizing my present environment, "real life" feels removed and I miss the beauty inherent in talking to someone face to face. The heightened communication that comes through physical presence and body language disappears with most electronic transmissions. I used to think that the worst thing that happens in those situations is that I could misunderstand or misread people; now I think the worst thing that happens is that I am satisfied with communicating at a reduced level. Meeting with people via e-mail and and over the phone is easier than meeting in person, and that level of interaction is usually all I want!

In reality, I'm not really morphing into a hermit; I'm just noticing a few tendencies in myself. Though the tendencies are not inherently bad, I do miss feeling close to people physically close to me. And communicating on deep levels with my friends. In person. The internet, my phone, and especially iChat have kept me in touch with world the past few months, but I don't want to become too satisfied with the current social contact status quo.

An interesting article on the subject sparked these thoughts again for me:
http://www.intuitive.com/blog/does_social_media_really_connect_you_to_humanity.html

I hope you've enjoyed interacting with me through this form of social media. I hope to interact with you again soon. :) Let me know what you think, and don't worry, I won't think that your thoughts aren't a form of deep communication because they're electronically transmitted. They will be food for thought for both of us until we can sit down in person and talk them over!

Bittersweet

Nicole went into the Missionary Training Center today. That means my best buddy and the keeper of my sanity while living at home has gone out of contact for the next 18 months. I'm thrilled for her because she will work hard and love her time serving in Hong Kong speaking Cantonese! I can think of few experiences deeper than those that come out of missionary service, and she is more than prepared for it. At the same time I'm fighting feelings of self-pity. Selfish, but true, because I miss her already and she's only been in the MTC for 9 hours.

A change of perspective is in order; it's time for me to leave the safety net my sister has been for me for the past year and a half and stretch. I probably should have done it long before, and I've tried, but usually not until someone I depend on is gone do I realize how many ties I've held onto to.

It's time to get out of the desert and into the sun, even if it's alone. Alone in the sun can be good!