Kiss and Tell…
Remember the days when the words Office Christmas Party were synonymous with awkward gift exchanges, loosened inhibitions and sometimes surprising romantic trysts that lead to water cooler gossip.
* Oh, how I miss you Dunder Mifflen
Nowadays, the water cooler is the world wide web. Every day the world gets smaller and smaller. Social media is abundant in our lives. You can literally post your life events (big and small) on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and Snapchat instantly. And then they are out there…
*like literally out there…
Quite honestly, the instantaneousness (I checked, that is a word ?), the instantaneousness of it all scares me a bit. Of course, even more frightening is the absolute permanence of it all. Think about it, even the best (or worst) water cooler gossip eventually went away; embarrassing, regret-filled, inappropriate posts never, ever do.
Social media also always makes me wonder if I am the only one with such an un-glamourous life. Nothing increases my FOMO (Fear of Missing Out) like social media. Out there it appears everyone is leading a fabulous life, having picturesque family moments, cooking chef inspired gourmet meals, after spending hours at the gym with great hair and perfect skin. Well, my brain understands that is probably not the full story, a picture is worth a thousand words and when the only details given are in a hashtag…
#redcarpet #behindthevelvetrope #thechristmasevent2017 – truth is I was actually hamming it up for T-L before driving myself home in a Honda Fit at 9:40 p.m.
I often wonder, is it harder for those who have been raised with the world at their fingertips, or for those of us, who grew up with a rotary telephone that not only did the act of dialing gave you a minute to think about it but most often you were limited to venting to one live individual at a time.
*Oh, how Twitter and Instagram would have changed the 80s angst…
Now, you can share everything, with everyone in 30 seconds or less. How do you decide what to share? Do you share the moments of immense joy, AND moments when life shatters your heart? Do you share those everyday life moments or yoga poses when you haven’t washed your hair? Or only those picture-perfect poses when you have excellent alignment and are on a mountain top?
* I was going to pretend this was me, but since the picture alone ignites my fear of heights I’d better not…
I’ve learned that my actual yoga mat is a great guide to navigating it all. When unroll your mat in a yoga class, it generally acts as a pretty solid boundary. Your fellow yogis respect your space, as you respect theirs. And while you may share a smile, there are generally no thumbs ups, thumbs downs or HaHas. And, if ever during a class you are to reach beyond the borders of your mat, you take a moment, a breath, and look around to see who it’s going to impact? How it will impact you? Taking a breath, a moment and being aware, oh, how it always comes back to that.
*Apparently it comes back to that for everyone…Happy Holidays.
P.S. I would love to hear what you think. Please “Leave a Reply” below, or you can email me directly at yogabeyondwords@gmail.com.
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