Here is the thing about me – my life is "out there".  By that I mean that by virtue of my daily blog and Facebook I have made parts of my life less private.  To me, this means my life is open to more people and richer for it; alas, not all folks are like me (a collective AMEN is appropriate about now…as clearly one me is quite enough for a 1,500 mile area radius).

These days, most folks are extending themselves a bit into the open landscapes of social networking.  With almost immediate access to anyone or anything in the world via internet our lives have become not only more "out there", but also more easily accessed. 

The fact that I am so "out there" is a bit astounding given my long history of profound shyness as a kid and young adult…but these days the last thing anyone would tell you is that I am a shrinking violet.  Oh no, one cannot live out loud the way I do cowering in a dark corner. So, I put myself "out there"…and sometimes it is scary and unsettling…and sometimes I pay a price for it.  Yet the alternative, a lesser connection with others – a stepping back into the shadows- seems a greater price to pay.

I have a friend who detests being "out there".  Not that he is shy like I was…more so, he is intensely committed to keeping his life private.  Yet, he loosely engages in social networking in a frame which has come to be known between us as a "lurking" status.  He is quite reticent to put his business out there for others to see, but he readily admits checking out others’ goings-on from behind the scenes. 

This passive participation used to bother me as it seems like a lack of reciprocity in the social contract that is the underpinning of social networking – I share/you share.  Upon thought though I realized that I don’t put my life "out there" for others, I put myself "out there" for me – to enrich my life.  I suspect the same is true for others who put themselves "out there" – to do so is to expand the reach of one’s life…indeed to, in many ways, enlarge it.  Some folks are more comfortable with that than others…hence, the chasm  between my lurking friend and me…but difference is okay…indeed, it is part of the balance in the universe.

I am living the life I want…I want to be "out there"…I want to live to my edge by opening up my world…I want to keep the shy girl in me forever in the sunlight…but not to worry, I have a big bottle of 45 SPF sunscreen and big sunglasses. 😉

Day three hundred and sixty-one of the new forty – obla di obla da

Ms. C