Hi Friends! One of my goals in 2020 is to get back to posting at least one full blog post per week in addition to my daily Instagram posts. It’s week 2 of the year and here we are with the second post of 2020!

I jotted down this blog post idea a couple weeks ago as I thought about this virtual community that we create through our social media channels. There is so much negativity associated with social media, from too much screen time, no personal interaction, the comparison game, the haters, and the list goes on.

Don’t get me wrong. I know social media has its drawbacks, especially if you are a mom of a teenage daughter. I monitor her social accounts very closely to ensure her accounts are private and everything being posted by both her and her friends is appropriate and kind. My son doesn’t have as much interest in posting on social media or even checking it as often.

When it comes to myself, I try not to let it control my life or take over precious time that could be spent with family or friends, but I do hop on a few times throughout the day to check in and stay engaged with contacts. Yes, while we can scroll our feeds and just get lost in the pretty photos of families, fashion or home decor, I try to really take the time to read each and every caption to really understand the true meaning behind each photo.

Personally, I put a lot of thought into each of my captions and it just fuels my soul to read other captions, from the funny ones to the inspirational or personal ones, it really helps me connect with the person I am engaging with. So many times I am struck by a caption that is so deeply personal that it just stops me in my tracks and reminds me that behind each account is a real person with real life issues and triumphs.

A couple weeks ago, there was a tragic story about a 3 month old baby of an influencer who had passed away suddenly. I saw the message initially on another account and immediately went to follow the mom and was just completely overwhelmed by her story. Despite her thousands of followers, here was a real mom going through one of life’s deepest tragedies, all through this public channel. What struck me the most was how her story spread so quickly with so many people jumping in to help her family in any way they could. It truly showed the power of social media and how we can use it to really do good in this world.

Since starting this blog account over a year ago, I have connected with some amazing women from all over the country from all walks of life. It’s been so amazing to see how each one is hustling at what they do, whether that is through their blog, through a side job or just as a very busy mama. There is nothing better than getting inspired through other women sharing their everyday lives and connecting with you through yours as well.

While I may never meet most of these women in real life, I feel like I have a virtual friendship with them that has been so fun and just a great little daily escape from everyday life. My personal connections and family will always be the ones I turn to most but having this new virtual community of friends has really just enhanced my life and I could not be more grateful.

So, while social media has its pros and cons and we could likely argue them all day long, I choose to really seek the positive in it and eliminate anything negative that happens to come across. I never knew when I started this journey where it would take me other than having a creative outlet for myself, but now that I have people who look forward to my posts as I do with theirs, it has become so much more. Thank you to everyone to engages and reads every one of my captions. It truly means the world to me.