My COMMUNITY & the IMPORTANCE of RELATIONSHIPS
Community. Relationships. We crave it. We desire it. We need it.
As a mother of 4 (wow, that's a lot of kids!) I have had the privilege of being a stay at home working mother for almost 15 years. I have homeschooled and been at home with these animals, I mean angels, but also maintained my own business the entire time. So needless to say, when I am NOT teaching, taking care of mom responsibilites, or working...I have little time for relationships.
For awhile that was okay. I was too busy to notice that part of my life was missing. But one day about 2 years ago it crept up on me. I felt alone. Isolated. Empty. I needed humans!
Then I discovered Twitter! And eventually Facebook! Now stop right there before you say anything negative...it is possible to have REAL friendships online that are not weird. Trust me! I even wrote a blog post a year ago about the sisterhood I have experienced online. You can check it out here.
These online relationships have given me woman to talk to about kids, homeschooling, friendships, photography, just about anything. I have laughed. I have cried. I have connected. And when you get to meet some of them in real life...as I have at such conferences as Blissdom in Nashville, it is just that....BLISS
So as a woman who stays at home with her kids, and works from a home studio...and still WANTS, NEEDS and CRAVES relationships....although my online community does NOT substitute for the friends I can hug, and drink coffee with (or wine!)...it does fill a part of me that needs filling. The need for community.
We are created to be in relationship with people. That is who we are. Sure, you might be able to survive for awhile on your own....but trust me...don't. It takes work. It takes time. It's sometimes hard. But it is oh.so.worth.it!
Need an online friend? Talk to me...I promise to talk back!
xo,
lisa
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Posted on July 05 2010