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Health & Fitness

Reconnect With Your Friends

Once upon a time, in a land not so far away, after returning from an elaborate vacation, you would invite your friends and neighbors over to see the slide show of your travels. I've heard of such a thing—never experienced it myself, and I doubt I ever will.

The times have changed—it is the digital age. Nowadays you might be offered a phone or camera to view a photograph on a small glass screen. Or some folks actually get their pictures printed off, so you might be offered the opportunity to look through a handful of 4×6 glossies. There are those super-organized types who immediately get their photos organized into a photo album—it does happen occasionally! And another amazing new display option is a photo book that you can have the printers put together after you spend a few hours organizing them via computer connection.

Connection—that is where I've been trying to get with all of this ranting. Once upon a time it was a rare treat to travel around the world. So, your neighbors’ slide show gave you a glimpse of something that you have never, ever seen, and would probably never have a chance to see. (Is it the inside of your neighbor's house?...) Now in the 21st century, we travel around the world frequently—if not actually aboard a jet, we have the internet. If you want to see photos of a lighthouse in Nova Scotia, you can just type that into your search engine, and whallah! There are hundreds of photos of lighthouses in Nova Scotia.

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But, do we travel as far as our neighbor’s house to get to know them? Do you invite them over to see your vacation photos? Chances are, no. Do you invite them over for a cup of coffee or better yet, to share a meal? We've gotten so connected with the rest of the world that we no longer connect to our neighbors, and friends are just a tally on a social network. Or perhaps it is that we have gotten so sensitive about minding our own business, that we let friendships slip through our fingers.

I’m as guilty as anyone else. I've got a list of friends I need to call and catch up with, but the days go by too fast, I’m on the internet too much, work too many hours…I've become too busy. All that convenience of fast-speed internet and instant photography has polluted our time and ripped us apart from true relationships with friends. Jeannie, Janet, or Csilla, should you happen to stumble by and read my blog—hello, I’m thinking of you. I promise, I will call this week.

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Now, it is time for a challenge. Write down a list of friends that you miss and want to catch up with. AND START CALLING THEM! Friends are not souvenirs or memories of long, long ago. We all need friends, but friendships don’t just happen, you have to devote time and energy to maintaining friendships.

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