Birthdays are Great!

It was my birthday yesterday, and, I've had quite a few. Each year brings something new: new insights, experiences, people, challenges, opportunities. It was lovely to reflect on the past year and realize how rich life is.

This is the first year I've really engaged in Facebook. I was not surprised to hear from family and old friends there, But, who knew that thirty-five FB "friends" would take the time to write and say 'Happy Birthday!' In thinking that through, a few stray thoughts popped up:


"Oh, yes, well, FB or Plaxo or some other social networking system reminded them, so, does it really count?"


>"Yes, it does. Why would you ever discount someone's time and attention who cared enough to send a shout out? They didn't have to and they didn't want anything more than to take a moment and connect."



"They don't know me and it really is rather meaningless. Don't they have anything better to do that send BD greetings to folks they don't know? (Ooooh, that's cynical!)"


"Yes, they have better things to do that would move their lives forward or make them money, AND, they took the time to connect. That really says something positive about our society, whether we've ever met or not. They didn't have to do that, they chose to.


So, what did I learn from this?

That social networking is much bigger in heart than I might have thought.
That people do care enough to take the time to reach out.
That the idea of a penpal is alive and well in an up-to-date format.
That I feel grateful for everyone of these folks.
That I feel even more inclined to reach out and connect with these folks

And, that I am blessed. It doesn't matter if the times are tense or trouble-free, there are always people who care, who will stop and smell the roses with you. That's what really tames tense times!

I guess that's why I started Spiritual Living Network - fr.ee social networking for spiritually-minded folks. It gives them a great place to connect with like-minded people. When our new format for it goes live in January, it will be even more like Facebook...and, that's a very good thing.

Thanks, everyone. Please keep reaching out from your hearts and letting others what I experienced yesterday.

With great love and much joy,
Rhoberta

P.S. You can join in at www.SpiritualLivingNetwork.com and, of course, become a member of www.TamingTenseTimes.com , too. Let's connect in these new ways.