When “Like” Becomes the New Thank You Admit it.  You’ve done it too.  Someone has responded to your post on Facebook and said something nice.  They contributed to the “conversation” in some thoughtful way or maybe they themselves initiated with a heartfelt “Happy Birthday!” Your response… simply click the “Like” button.  In that one little action, all that needs to be said has been said. “I’m acknowledging that I have seen and read your response.  It was nice.  Thank you.  I’m clicking this button to let you know that I appreciate what you’ve said but I’m too lazy to actually respond in kind.  What you’ve said warms my heart but not enough to elicit the effort required to give more than a digital thumbs up.” All of that said in one little depression of my right index finger.  It’s amazing!  The brilliance of Mark Zuckerberg astounds me. I’m sure there’s a time and place for the one-click “head-nod” but I wonder if we’re losing real “community” with all this.  We’re simply clicking.  Or maybe, we’re actually engaging more because we’re “connecting” with people we haven’t heard from in years.  We’re “meeting” people we don’t really know but who have enough mutual “friends” they must be “safe.”  I also wonder sometimes if I should use more, not less, quotation marks in one paragraph but that’s for another day. For real though, I wish “Happy Birthday” to people all the time now and I love it.  It makes me feel good.  I mean, that’s what it’s all about, right.  If not for Facebook, I wouldn’t have even known it was their special day.  It’s not a card but hey, it’s something.   And, if I’m in a particularly spiritual mood on that day, I may even toss up a prayer on their behalf.  Listen, I’m not talking about some cheap blanket prayer that covers them all either.  I’m talking about the real deal.  I’m actually mentioning their name.  That’s gotta count for something, right? Seriously though, there’s nothing wrong with “Like” becoming the new thank you.  That’s part of the new social dance this technology is bringing.  Most people get that.  But I encourage you to do more than simply click.  Send something a little deeper and a little more heart-felt.  Something that takes a little more thought and a little more care.  Take a leap and move it beyond the digital.  Invite them to coffee or lunch and connect the good old fashioned way. And, if you wandered here through Facebook, I expect you to “Like” this.  It’s the very least you can do.
Pop-upView Separately

When “Like” Becomes the New Thank You

Admit it.  You’ve done it too.  Someone has responded to your post on Facebook and said something nice.  They contributed to the “conversation” in some thoughtful way or maybe they themselves initiated with a heartfelt “Happy Birthday!”

Your response… simply click the “Like” button.  In that one little action, all that needs to be said has been said.

“I’m acknowledging that I have seen and read your response.  It was nice.  Thank you.  I’m clicking this button to let you know that I appreciate what you’ve said but I’m too lazy to actually respond in kind.  What you’ve said warms my heart but not enough to elicit the effort required to give more than a digital thumbs up.”

All of that said in one little depression of my right index finger.  It’s amazing!  The brilliance of Mark Zuckerberg astounds me.

I’m sure there’s a time and place for the one-click “head-nod” but I wonder if we’re losing real “community” with all this.  We’re simply clicking.  Or maybe, we’re actually engaging more because we’re “connecting” with people we haven’t heard from in years.  We’re “meeting” people we don’t really know but who have enough mutual “friends” they must be “safe.”  I also wonder sometimes if I should use more, not less, quotation marks in one paragraph but that’s for another day.

For real though, I wish “Happy Birthday” to people all the time now and I love it.  It makes me feel good.  I mean, that’s what it’s all about, right.  If not for Facebook, I wouldn’t have even known it was their special day.  It’s not a card but hey, it’s something.  

And, if I’m in a particularly spiritual mood on that day, I may even toss up a prayer on their behalf.  Listen, I’m not talking about some cheap blanket prayer that covers them all either.  I’m talking about the real deal.  I’m actually mentioning their name.  That’s gotta count for something, right?

Seriously though, there’s nothing wrong with “Like” becoming the new thank you.  That’s part of the new social dance this technology is bringing.  Most people get that.  But I encourage you to do more than simply click.  Send something a little deeper and a little more heart-felt.  Something that takes a little more thought and a little more care.  Take a leap and move it beyond the digital.  Invite them to coffee or lunch and connect the good old fashioned way.

And, if you wandered here through Facebook, I expect you to “Like” this.  It’s the very least you can do.

Relationships Are Your Greatest Resource I spent last week driving up and down the length of my state.  I was working on some commercials for the Department of Tourism.  I had a blast.  I met new people.  Worked with a new crew.  Saw places I’d never seen before.  After 1400 miles, our final destination for filming was Gulf Shores.  We wrapped and after a late night at the karaoke bar (I’ve got rap skills) I headed to bed. On the way home, I stopped two hours into my trip to fuel up only to realize I left my wallet at the hotel.  The nearest Wells Fargo was forty miles away and I was on empty… in the middle of nowhere. Have you ever been in trouble?  Ever been stranded?  Have you ever had one of those “what now” moments?  In those times, it’s usually never “what do I do” that gets the job done.  It’s almost always, “who do I call”.   A couple of phone calls, twenty minutes later, a bit of embarrassment and my tank was full.  I called a friend who called his dad.  Before he left, he mentioned that work was slow and asked me to pray for his situation.  Just the day before, I had texted a friend of mine asking for the same. Because of my relationship, I didn’t go without when in a jam.  I’ve been blessed with some incredible friends.  And, I’m convinced there are few places in the world I could go and not have the safety net of relationships there if needed. It doesn’t matter what you need Your greatest resources are in your relationships.  They are more valuable than money or clout.  More valuable than fame or success. Do you need: wisdom finance laughter a couch to sleep on comfort perspective someone to carry the casket accountability companionship someone to watch your dog prayer a ride to the airport someone to cry with correction permission to feel angry Who’s on your list? Of course, the purpose of relationships isn’t just about fulfilling a need. But, that’s for another discussion.  The point is, it doesn’t matter what you need, you will find the answer in your relationships.  This means, you better cultivate some deep ones.   A good question to ask yourself is:  Who’s on your list when the poo hits the fan?   A much better question to ponder is:  Who has you on their list?  Photo credit: kardboard604
Pop-upView Separately

Relationships Are Your Greatest Resource

I spent last week driving up and down the length of my state.  I was working on some commercials for the Department of Tourism.  I had a blast.  I met new people.  Worked with a new crew.  Saw places I’d never seen before.  After 1400 miles, our final destination for filming was Gulf Shores.  We wrapped and after a late night at the karaoke bar (I’ve got rap skills) I headed to bed.

On the way home, I stopped two hours into my trip to fuel up only to realize I left my wallet at the hotel.  The nearest Wells Fargo was forty miles away and I was on empty… in the middle of nowhere.

Have you ever been in trouble?  Ever been stranded?  Have you ever had one of those “what now” moments?  In those times, it’s usually never “what do I do” that gets the job done.  It’s almost always, “who do I call”.  

A couple of phone calls, twenty minutes later, a bit of embarrassment and my tank was full.  I called a friend who called his dad.  Before he left, he mentioned that work was slow and asked me to pray for his situation.  Just the day before, I had texted a friend of mine asking for the same.

Because of my relationship, I didn’t go without when in a jam.  I’ve been blessed with some incredible friends.  And, I’m convinced there are few places in the world I could go and not have the safety net of relationships there if needed.

It doesn’t matter what you need

Your greatest resources are in your relationships.  They are more valuable than money or clout.  More valuable than fame or success.

Do you need:

  • wisdom
  • finance
  • laughter
  • a couch to sleep on
  • comfort
  • perspective
  • someone to carry the casket
  • accountability
  • companionship
  • someone to watch your dog
  • prayer
  • a ride to the airport
  • someone to cry with
  • correction
  • permission to feel angry

Who’s on your list?

Of course, the purpose of relationships isn’t just about fulfilling a need. But, that’s for another discussion.  The point is, it doesn’t matter what you need, you will find the answer in your relationships.  This means, you better cultivate some deep ones.  

A good question to ask yourself is:  Who’s on your list when the poo hits the fan?  

A much better question to ponder is:  Who has you on their list? 

Photo credit: kardboard604

Redefining Local: a poll Over the past little while, I’ve found myself redefining what the word “local” means to me.  I’ve been trying to “click the zoom button” on my map, relearn, and focus on what it means. Take a look at the thesaurus: localadjective1 local government: community, district, neighborhood, regional, city, town, municipal, county. ANTONYMS national, global. 2 a local restaurant: neighborhood, nearby, near, at hand, close by; accessible, handy, convenient. I’m planning to write more on this topic in the near future but in this age of metropolis and global communication, I think we’ve lost something by going big.  Don’t get me wrong, I love big cities and I love to travel but I’ve been trying to be much more intentional about my immediate community.  Where and how I “do life”.  Especially in my economic choices.  I refuse to drive the five miles to Wal-Mart because honestly, that’s too far for me and not because of gas prices either.  Not to mention the topic of Wal-Mart could take up a whole series of posts by itself.   My point is, I love doing life right here.  I want my money to benefit the businesses right here.  We plan our fuel ups at the gas station right here.  We shop at the grocery store right here.  Our doctor’s office is right here.  I think we’re losing what true community is and I’m trying to do my small part to reverse that. Out of curiosity, anyone else out there think about these things or am I crazy?  Hit the comments up below but only after you let us know here:
Pop-upView Separately

Redefining Local: a poll

Over the past little while, I’ve found myself redefining what the word “local” means to me.  I’ve been trying to “click the zoom button” on my map, relearn, and focus on what it means. Take a look at the thesaurus:

local
adjective
1 local government: community, district, neighborhood, regional, city, town, municipal, county. ANTONYMS national, global.

2 a local restaurant: neighborhood, nearby, near, at hand, close by;
accessible, handy, convenient.

I’m planning to write more on this topic in the near future but in this age of metropolis and global communication, I think we’ve lost something by going big.  Don’t get me wrong, I love big cities and I love to travel but I’ve been trying to be much more intentional about my immediate community.  Where and how I “do life”.  Especially in my economic choices.  I refuse to drive the five miles to Wal-Mart because honestly, that’s too far for me and not because of gas prices either.  Not to mention the topic of Wal-Mart could take up a whole series of posts by itself.  

My point is, I love doing life right here.  I want my money to benefit the businesses right here.  We plan our fuel ups at the gas station right here.  We shop at the grocery store right here.  Our doctor’s office is right here.  I think we’re losing what true community is and I’m trying to do my small part to reverse that.

Out of curiosity, anyone else out there think about these things or am I crazy?  Hit the comments up below but only after you let us know here: