Part 1: Enjoying the Moment.
It feels great to say this.
I'm in Atlanta, Georgia.
Feels great. I feel like it's similar to coming back home, only not in a way.
I've been looking forward to this for well over a month now, as semi-documented via Facebook. But one thing I noticed along the way was my lack of sharing leading to the time when I got on the plane and flew out here. To be honest, I probably posted a handful of posts detailing it. And I'm perfectly okay with it.
Today even, I spent time with a great friend of mine (and someone I enjoy spending time with) trying new places, walking around / people-watching, and breaking my Starbucks ban with. It was great, and awesome, with great company, and other than a single Facebook post, I didn't feel compelled to share or document much, if any, of what we were doing. No Snapchat, no Instagram photo of our food, no Tweets....
I just enjoyed their company.
I just enjoyed the moment.
______________________________________________________
I wrote the above start to this blog post while sitting in my hotel room in Atlanta a couple of weeks ago. I never published it, as I spent more time away from my laptop than even thinking about the Internet, something I didn't think was possible a long time ago. That trip brought with it so many moments, so many memories that I'll think about on the days when I'm struggling to make it through the day because of things getting me down.
What's the great aspect is that none of my trip, minus the few postings and tags from friends, are documented online anywhere. I simply enjoyed the moment.
Lately I've looked at Social Media as a great outlet to put yourself out there. It can also bury you deeply if you rely too heavily on it. With me, I found myself at the latter. Sure, I still enjoy scrolling through Instagram, but I practically like every single photo on my feed -- even the ads at times -- and find myself doing it either late at night as I lay down to go to bed, or in the morning while using the bathroom.
Outside of that, I don't post too much. No status, no tweets, rarely my own photos on Instagram.... I'll Snap on Snapchat but that's about it. It's weird at times, but I like it.
I find myself enjoying the moment with those who I'm around. For instance, when I went to Buford to see my friend Joey, instead of grabbing the camera -- which was in the car with me the entire time -- I left it to simply enjoy the moment with him. The conversations, the walking around the Mall of Georgia, the Starbucks.... it was just a great time with an equally great person. Not once did I feel compelled to bring out the phone to snap a picture of our food or what we were doing. [I did post a Facebook post but that was it.] The only other times the phone came out was to figure out where we were going to eat, and to use my Starbucks app to pay for my drink and food.
Even once I got to Statesboro, I didn't post much, if at all. Quite honestly I was on the move practically everyday, seeing people or going places. It was overall nice to just take those moments and disconnect from the world and simply enjoy the environment I was in, and enjoy those people. The more I think back to that trip, the more I smile on those memories. And the more I think about it, the more I realize the importance of enjoying the moment you are in and disconnecting.
I realize now that I haven't lived for the moment. I lived for the moment in regards to sharing and posting, and getting involved with making sure everyone else was involved with it. But what did I get out of it? What was the point? Where was the purpose? Did anyone even care?
At the end of the day, each moment of my trip to Georgia will be something I think about....
... Sitting on the couch with 2 of my closest friends as we talk about their upcoming wedding and the natural feeling of the 3 of us sitting in the living room spending time with one another and how this could be a daily thing if life works out that way....
... Seeing 2 of my best friends for the first time in 4 years, choking back tears just hugging the crap out of them, separately, knowing that they've been my support system for as long as I've known them....
... Driving to Charleston to have dinner with a friend and her family, being welcomed in just like a member of the family (dogs included), and to enjoy that conversation that had more winds and turns in it than the roads that took me to that quiet neighborhood....
... Sitting around the coffee table to find out that two of the greatest people I know are expecting their first child together, and the level of excitement and anticipation I feel for both of them as they expand and build their family together, and essentially being there with them both since the very beginning of it all....
These things aren't measurable at all. They aren't things that truly can be documented without being in the moment. To look back on all the moments I spent on that trip, and know I was truly there makes me smile. I can look on those moments on the days where my life isn't that grand. But then it also makes me truly realize that it's more important to enjoy the moment.
I'm in Atlanta, Georgia.
Feels great. I feel like it's similar to coming back home, only not in a way.
I've been looking forward to this for well over a month now, as semi-documented via Facebook. But one thing I noticed along the way was my lack of sharing leading to the time when I got on the plane and flew out here. To be honest, I probably posted a handful of posts detailing it. And I'm perfectly okay with it.
Today even, I spent time with a great friend of mine (and someone I enjoy spending time with) trying new places, walking around / people-watching, and breaking my Starbucks ban with. It was great, and awesome, with great company, and other than a single Facebook post, I didn't feel compelled to share or document much, if any, of what we were doing. No Snapchat, no Instagram photo of our food, no Tweets....
I just enjoyed their company.
I just enjoyed the moment.
______________________________________________________
I wrote the above start to this blog post while sitting in my hotel room in Atlanta a couple of weeks ago. I never published it, as I spent more time away from my laptop than even thinking about the Internet, something I didn't think was possible a long time ago. That trip brought with it so many moments, so many memories that I'll think about on the days when I'm struggling to make it through the day because of things getting me down.
What's the great aspect is that none of my trip, minus the few postings and tags from friends, are documented online anywhere. I simply enjoyed the moment.
Lately I've looked at Social Media as a great outlet to put yourself out there. It can also bury you deeply if you rely too heavily on it. With me, I found myself at the latter. Sure, I still enjoy scrolling through Instagram, but I practically like every single photo on my feed -- even the ads at times -- and find myself doing it either late at night as I lay down to go to bed, or in the morning while using the bathroom.
Outside of that, I don't post too much. No status, no tweets, rarely my own photos on Instagram.... I'll Snap on Snapchat but that's about it. It's weird at times, but I like it.
I find myself enjoying the moment with those who I'm around. For instance, when I went to Buford to see my friend Joey, instead of grabbing the camera -- which was in the car with me the entire time -- I left it to simply enjoy the moment with him. The conversations, the walking around the Mall of Georgia, the Starbucks.... it was just a great time with an equally great person. Not once did I feel compelled to bring out the phone to snap a picture of our food or what we were doing. [I did post a Facebook post but that was it.] The only other times the phone came out was to figure out where we were going to eat, and to use my Starbucks app to pay for my drink and food.
Even once I got to Statesboro, I didn't post much, if at all. Quite honestly I was on the move practically everyday, seeing people or going places. It was overall nice to just take those moments and disconnect from the world and simply enjoy the environment I was in, and enjoy those people. The more I think back to that trip, the more I smile on those memories. And the more I think about it, the more I realize the importance of enjoying the moment you are in and disconnecting.
I realize now that I haven't lived for the moment. I lived for the moment in regards to sharing and posting, and getting involved with making sure everyone else was involved with it. But what did I get out of it? What was the point? Where was the purpose? Did anyone even care?
At the end of the day, each moment of my trip to Georgia will be something I think about....
... Sitting on the couch with 2 of my closest friends as we talk about their upcoming wedding and the natural feeling of the 3 of us sitting in the living room spending time with one another and how this could be a daily thing if life works out that way....
... Seeing 2 of my best friends for the first time in 4 years, choking back tears just hugging the crap out of them, separately, knowing that they've been my support system for as long as I've known them....
... Driving to Charleston to have dinner with a friend and her family, being welcomed in just like a member of the family (dogs included), and to enjoy that conversation that had more winds and turns in it than the roads that took me to that quiet neighborhood....
... Sitting around the coffee table to find out that two of the greatest people I know are expecting their first child together, and the level of excitement and anticipation I feel for both of them as they expand and build their family together, and essentially being there with them both since the very beginning of it all....
These things aren't measurable at all. They aren't things that truly can be documented without being in the moment. To look back on all the moments I spent on that trip, and know I was truly there makes me smile. I can look on those moments on the days where my life isn't that grand. But then it also makes me truly realize that it's more important to enjoy the moment.
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