It is Wednesday night, which means tomorrow I’ll be sending out my blog. I can honestly say I sat down here not having any idea what the subject of my ramblings was going to be. Looking back through the last week, I feel like I was busy, but nothing life-altering happened… well, I guess one thing.
Last Saturday, during my morning reflections, I had this whole moment where I was thinking about AI and how it could be adding more “waves” into the air. That got me thinking about the collective consciousness and how we seem less connected than we used to be. But… are we?
If we went back 150 years, were people really more connected than we are now, or less? On one hand, we have access to SO much more. On the other hand, here I am on the other side of this screen. I work from home, and it’s usually a toss-up whether I’m going to go to the store for groceries or just have them delivered. (Side note: I absolutely hate grocery shopping. And if you’re inclined to argue against the delivery charge, you’ve clearly never gone with me. If I physically go, not only am I burning my own gas, but I am FOR SURE going to put unnecessary things in that cart that far exceed the delivery fee and tip!)
Anyway, back to my post-morning reflection thoughts on isolation, and blogging to “people.” When I’m blogging, I like to pretend my random thoughts aren’t just me talking to myself—please just let me have this little delusion!
In all seriousness, if it weren’t for my kids being so active, there would be times I flat-out would not leave my house. I do get connected, but I get to choose what I connect to. If you were to look at my world, it’s my family, my job, my plants, all these dogs, and items for exploring the inner self. But not a lot of the outer world. My outer world consists of YouTube and the curated groups of people I’ve found in those categories. I, who crave individuality, have put myself in a pigeonhole of my own making!
Is this good? I wouldn’t say it’s good or bad, but it can create a sense of disconnection when tunnel vision sets in.
Where was I going with this again? Oh yeah—collective consciousness, connected vs. disconnected… bringing it back in!
Well, I decided I wanted to see if I could use AI to help me connect some dots. It seemed to work for me, so obviously, I had to pull other people into it to see if it worked on them too. Then, of course, I had to put it on the website so it wasn’t so clunky. It was fun, interesting, and I really, truly enjoyed it. Granted, I’ve only had 7 brave souls try my little test, but as of writing this, we’re 6 for 7 (I just sent one back today!). Every time I send one out, I realize something was missing, so now I’ve created a template to make it look a little more thought-out.
This was all to see if we are still able to be connected—and I truly believe we are. We might just have to try a little harder, but that’s okay.
(Oh look, here comes a plant analogy! Imagine me dancing in my seat right now, because I didn’t think I had one in me tonight, but they always show up somehow.)
If you know a lot about succulents—or really most plants—they need that direct connection to the sun. If things are blocking their way, they don’t just shrivel up and die right away. They become “leggy.” They stretch and bend to find a source of light.
The same goes for us. If you feel isolated or like there’s too much blocking you from what you need, it’s okay. Stretch a little. Look around, and you’ll find what you need—even if it takes a bit more effort to reach it.
However… please, if your plant is stretching that hard, give the poor thing more light! I’m actually reminded of a few succulents I need to go rehab right now because I let them struggle a little too long, and now they look like sad, misshapen trees. (They are NOT supposed to look like trees!)
So maybe there’s a second lesson here: if you’re having to try that hard just to get the nutrients you need to thrive, maybe you need to find a better source of light. It should feel natural to get what you need—not like you’re constantly standing on your tiptoes just to get enough to survive.