There are some days when I think it would be nice if someone just checked in to say hello. And other days when I just want to be left alone. Sure now I’m in that stage of lockdown where I can meet someone for a meal or coffee in the park. Although now we’ve gone back into lockdown and the weather is not very nice I’ll skip the picnics.
Last week we had the annual R U Ok day and there has been much hype surrounding it. Social media pages have been full of people asking R U Ok? And this is great, we can all need this question at times I’m sure. So yes I think it is a great thing, an awesome initiative and top marks to the person who came up with the idea. However… what about the other three hundred and sixty-four days?
Do we just trot out this once a year and feel good about ourselves for asking a few people if they are okay? Or do we practise the concept more frequently? I’m as guilty as the next person for not always being in touch with people, as some days I just want to retreat from the world. But I think that is a normal part of life. Some days I simply can’t be bothered with Facebook or Twitter and of course, I always miss something important but I don’t like the idea of allowing these platforms to control my life.
I have a business and a lot of the communication is via Facebook, so reluctantly it gets checked a few times a day. But all too often I find myself getting sucked in watching some lame video of a cat opening a door or getting stuck in a box. Before I know it I’ve lost an hour of my day where I could have been doing something productive or calling a friend to say hi and making sure they are okay.
Texting just doesn’t cut it for me. It is a really convenient tool, but nothing like actually speaking to a person. It can be all too easy to make words mean something more than the sender intended.
Of course, it works both ways — when I call a friend there is a mutual benefit — at least I hope that they aren’t rolling their eyes and thinking ‘not her again! But seriously talking to a friend or relative can make me feel good — and I can only hope that they get a lift too.
So are you feeling okay today?