Thoughts On Social Media

In this day and age I think it would be reasonable to think nearly everyone has an active account on one or more social media platforms - that's to be expected! A large of junk of communication happens via the internet, be it iMessages, Twitter, Facebook, Instagram...

Instagram is my main social network of choice. I am always fascinated by the way different beings interpret a place, plate of food, person, cup of coffee. It's infinite and I love it!

A lot of my inspiration stems from Instagram and I enjoy documenting important moments and activities in my life. It has allowed me to network with people I wouldn't have otherwise met.

It's great for building your own persona and finding what you like, however, so is the outside world. 

It's interesting because if someone had asked me to write a post about this when I was 14 I probably would have said it's brilliant, I love it, it can do no wrong. I think we all know that's not the truth, it does have its downsides and we've all experienced them.

For me, it's important to be mindful. Meaning I like to be in tune with myself and the ground I'm standing on. Often this means switching off from things like Twitter and Instagram. It's great to be letting everyone know what you're doing and how you're feeling but sometimes it's nice to be anonymous and soak up some serenity.

Of course I will continue to use social media platforms, and I will most definitely remember to be conscious and aware of my own presence in this ever-changing world.

The internet and social media is what you make of it, you can choose to absorb the good and banish the bad (and vice versa). Most of all I think it's vital to remember that as we grow, the internet grows.

This post prompt was taken from Sometimes Sweet's Journal Day Prompt #7

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A Story And A Song

After reading Sometimes Sweet's blog post on 'Journal Days' I decided there might be a few prompts that would spark some creativity/ideas. I kept my eyes peeled and to my luck the second prompt was a winner.

Robbie Williams - Mr Bojangles.

This song was the one that lead to a change in taste of music, swing, jazz and blues soon became a firm favourite after this. It hurls me back to when I was a lot younger - mostly reminding me of mini road trips with Pap and taking every Monday morning off to go for coffee and a toasted croissant.

Things have changed a lot since then but there are times when we both still listen to this song. I think the familiar whistling entertains the feeling of nostalgia we share. He longs for a time when I was small enough to sit on his knee and I long for a time when I didn't have to be in school on a Monday .

However nostalgia isn't the only feeling that surrounds Robbie Williams' rendition of this swing classic. Happiness, serenity, ambition and desire for a further utopia all remind me of those car journeys with my best friend, even silence was a welcomed feeling.

One of the first things I think of when I hear this song is the long haul trip we take to Italy every year. It would be around 3am and I'd wake from a slumber to find the car still going at a steady pace, everyone asleep but Dad - not once did he make a fuss about being alone at 3am driving through Switzerland, I admire him for that. 

After a long discussion about the food we couldn't wait to eat and the faces we longed to see, Pap would instinctively put our song on and I'd slowly but surely drift back to sleep.

There have been times when we've sang it, whistled it, cried to it, sat in silence to it, (probably even) bickered over it but it will be a constant and vivid memory of mine. One so vivid I can almost close my eyes and be transported to the same surroundings, weather and emotions that the mellow tune so often linked to.

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