Social Media

  Back before we all became addicted to our electronic devices, we used to do a thing called talking.  This was a way of communicating our thoughts and feelings person to person.  We did not "chat" by typing. We did it with our mouths.  I can even remember a time when "Don't talk about this over the telephone.  We need to visit." was a phrase used when discussing something personal.  Now...it is all out there. Everything.....I mean EVERYTHING is put on some form of social media. Geez, Folks!  Whatever happened to a heart to heart talk?  Do you realize that no matter how many cute little smiley or frowny faces you put after a typed message, the true emotion can never be expressed?  

  I was deep in thought this morning as I sat on the pier.  I missed my kids and wished that they were back on the Bayou at least for a visit.  As I sat there, a whole mess of swallows was flying about snatching deer flies out of the air.  Suddenly, they all made a pit-stop on the pier posts. Each post had a single bird atop.  They were chittering and preening their feathers...all except for one.  One solitary bird made its way from post to post.  It would stay just a moment exchanging small-talk with the bird resting on the post.  Then, it would fly to the next post, repeat the action and move to the next.  This bird was "talking" with all of the others.  Whether it was spreading the most recent gossip (which seems to be what humans do on their social medias), congratulating the others on a job well done or maybe just liked all of the other birds..I shall never know.

  

  What I do know is that I miss talking with people one on one.  Other than one sister-in-law, Cynthia, not many folks venture down to the Bayou just to visit.  Let it come up a nice thunderstorm and she will be knocking at my door. "Lets have a cup of coffee and watch the rain!" she will say.  Then we will proceed to talk about anything and everything. This, my friends, is the way it should be.  Sitting at the kitchen table or in rocking chairs on a screen porch just talking, laughing, sharing is what is missing from our lives today.  We have become detached from true togetherness.  I miss that....I miss that.