Take Time

This weekend’s Birthday party was extremely fun and had very few snags. The girls got a butt load of presents and even the cakes were well received. I’ll blog about that in the days to come. Today I want to recognize the best thing about the party. The people.

A year ago we lived in Georgia. So far away from family and friends that we utilized web conferencing to stay in touch and make sure the bears had a connection established. This was hard for all of us. While I loved Georgia I hated being absent. I would cringe when I would be told of a family outing or a girl’s night out that I missed. Life goes on without you no matter how much you desire to be included.

So we are back. Back among family and friends and it feels so good. I knew I missed people but didn’t realize how innate it was. Or how much better I feel when I’m able to sit face to face with a friend and laugh. My spirit is rejuvenated.

There were some family and friends that couldn’t make it on Saturday and they were missed. Nevertheless from the ones that were there I relished them so much. I flitted from group to group and basked in their presence. I am sure I was giddier than the bears with all of their toys.

If you haven’t seen a friend or a cousin in too long stop putting it off. Yes we all are busy. The holidays make it even more so. In spite of this, make a minute, take an hour, you will feel so much better and your outlook will improve.

Tête-à-Tête

Do you have a pen pal? Not your email buddies or cell phone pals. But a pen/pencil to paper pen pal. I do. And I, in truth, don’t write to them enough. Why? Because it easier to zoom the emails or pick up a phone. However, I find that I share more and deeper in my hand written prose than any email.

My pen pal writes more often than I do and I’m sure they have no idea how precious their letters really are to me. They make me push away the computer and tune out the TV to concentrate on their written word. And for a few moments I give them my undivided attention. My email friends don’t get that privilege as it is easy to read an email and still watch TV. I can only hope my letters receive the same beseeching attention. Even though it’s not a face to face tête-à-tête I can sense their essence through the letters as they can sense mine.

I know since the emails have become more frequent with my friends the actual conversations have become less. My girl friends and I use to have coffee, tea or go window shopping to catch up with what was new in our lives. We still get together but it is much less than before. Yes we are all watching our wallets but that doesn’t mean that I shouldn’t be able to share an hour to sit in a park and just talk.

Don’t get me wrong I love sending and receiving emails. Some make me laugh, others cry and some question what my friend was thinking. I know I forward plenty of those too. Yet I find I am longing for some face time.

So as you peruse your Facebook, MySpace, LinkedIn, blogs or other social networking sites take into account what you are not sharing with your “friends.” Face time is more significant in build those connections than your mouse.

I need to go write a letter.

Congratulations!

This is going to be a short post. I just wanted to say congratulations to a wonderful friend and a beautiful bride. Kaila, I wish you and Lenny a lifetime of happiness.