Living Out Loud on Social Media

If you know me well, you know that I struggle in social situations.  I have a hard time with small talk and pleasantries.  I have a hard time getting to know people.  I'm not at all confident when introducing myself to people.  When I took the REACH coach job, my partner and I were supposed to visit and introduce ourselves to all of the districts in our assigned region.  I was sick!  I'm not sure what how I thought I was going to meet all of those people, but the prospect of introducing myself to people gave me such anxiety.  Lucky for me, God blessed me with a partner in Carri Simunek who was willing to walk through doors first.  Every school we visited together, I asked her to walk through the door first and make introductions.  Throughout my two years in that position, I learned how to be more confident and how to introduce myself.  I got better at small talk and pleasantries, but it does not come naturally for me at all.  I still have to work at it.

Where I have found that I can be most transparent and where I am the most comfortable is on screen.  I am one of those.  If you were to say I hide behind the screen, you probably wouldn't be wrong.  I'm better in print.  Social media posts, emails, texts....all kinds of print.  When I first joined the social media world my sister, Kayla, had to talk me into creating a Facebook account.  I was very unsure of the whole thing.  I didn't figure there would be anyone that would want to be my friend.  It was all about being social, and I wasn't.  What I have found though is that social media allows me to live out loud.

I don't post everything I think or do (thank heavens right?).  I do however show more of my personality and more of my reality through social media than you'll get in a few brief encounters with me.  I've discovered that my posts work as conversation starters for me when I'm face to face with people.  So thank you for reading, thank you for indulging my culinary adventures, my reading challenge and embracing me as I live out loud.