Politically Correct...nah, not my style.

I have neglected this blog. Neglect is probably an understatement..ok, it is and understatement. But today I just felt the desire to write about something I witnessed. What could pull me out of my deep blog slumber to sit down and write?

It MUST be big!


It was this moment where I found myself chuckling about the "rules" of instagram.

First let me explain some things for groundwork. This could be an instagram post.

These two amazing girls ran a half marathon on Thanksgiving day!! So proud of  Carly and Jenna.

Instagram is a social media tool where you post a picture and put a small caption below to explain what is going on. This use of pictures is very appealing to a photographer like me. I use it a lot. But these rules of usage are an unspoken, probably undocumented list of taboos. The rules of how often to post a picture and ESPECIALLY the ratio of how many people you follow vs. how many people follow you are the essence of these parameters.

So first rule- IF you post too often you are lame, have no rules of personal decorum and are pretty much a loser. A diseased user of instagram is scoffed at in private....."so and so posts WAY to many pictures"! This is often followed by, " So I unfriended them."

Wow. This is the accepted response to too many photos? What does it say about you or the people you would actually utter such a declaration of intolerance about? I dunno, this might be a call for an integrity check.

Second rule- If you have more people that you follow than follow you, you are pretty much a social outcast. How can anyone who is REALLY anyone care about more people than care about you?!   It is practically a scarlet letter that reveals that you, my friend, are not popular!

I live by a different set of rules.

First of all my rules are not set by the Kardashian types of the world. I hope in every encounter with mankind I make a friend by how I behave. My goal is to gather more friends. I want in my exchange to ensure that they feel loved and noticed. My motive is NOT to make sure they notice me and want me as their total bestie for life! My ratio that I hope to achieve is to have 2x as many that I follow than follow me!!! I am actually one of those people who like to hear about your family pictures and stories.

And the next rule to address- I hope that I post almost daily the blessings and gifts that surround me! I have SO much to show, express and share when it comes to my daily life. If you find in all your worldly snobbery to find my regular posts distasteful then unfollow me. It's ok. I will still be your friend. Forever.

Gratitude is a choice and in living in gratitude daily I change. My focus changes and my love for life increases. I see beauty in challenges and hardship. The more my view changes, honestly I will post more pictures and gather more friends.

It's pretty much a given that I am a social misfit when it comes to the rules of Instagram. I appreciate the implication by such a title! You see, I do my best to look outward.  That very mantra means there are many more people to meet and love and much more of the world to find beauty in. I won't be held back by a collection of rules that are contrary to living in an abundant way.

It is in looking outward that I become whole...happy and filled with peace.

can't imagine life without many friends and without my family!