A guest post from Sue.
From time to time other voices join the conversation.
If you’re looking for Ruth’s Smiley Lady Blog, CLICK to be taken there!
It’s all in your attitude.
Today we live in a very fast-paced world, not only in our literal world but also in our technological world. You may wake up with a handful of friends, but go to bed with a new set of virtual friends, friends that are good people – or should I say tweeples.
Okay, what about stranger danger? It’s called using your intuition, your gut feeling, and then your technology! I love the Internet! Seriously, you would think me, someone that has been both a victim of Internet defamation and invasion of privacy, as well as someone that has been stalked online would be a person that believe that cyberspace is my enemy. It’s not. We need to embrace the world-wide-web, make it your friend, it is full so many wonderful people, places and things for us – you need to keep that positive frame of mind! It’s all in your attitude.
I have meet so many wonderful people online, and they are real people. How do I know? I have talked to many, meet some in real life, and seen some on television — not to mention due diligence of online research.
Twitter is one of the places I have meet the most interesting people. They are, for the most part, smart, fun, engaging, and you can learn so much from everyone!
The day I met @SpontaneSmiley was an odd day (that’s Ruth, the Smiley Lady’s Twitter handle). I’d just arrived home from a very difficult time. I went online. You see sometimes virtual life can be an escape from reality — especially when there are troubling times that are out of our control.
I happen to click on @SpontanceSmiley’s bio and read about how we can find a “smile” in everything we do and find “smiles in everyday life!” The optimism was so loud and so vibrant, I nearly forgot that my sister’s and I are facing the fact that our mother’s dementia means we will never again have the mother we once knew.
Okay, so I just opened up and shared a private part of my life, which is not like me. However through optimism you can get through hard times when others are supporting you – even if the hugs are virtual hugs. I slowly started sharing what I have been going through this summer, dementia is a cruel and ugly disease. We never experienced it in our family, until now. So sharing with my online community brought comfort from others who knew more.
The support I found in cyberspace has been overwhelming! I am not alone — and though this is probably one of the worst times someone can go through, I can truly say finding all this support online is also one of the best.
It is all in your attitude.
Thank you for allowing me to share how having a positive outlook can make a difference even in the darkest of times.
🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂
Continue the conversation with Sue Scheff on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, and her website.