Welcome and Housekeeping

Purpose

I am a young adult who is now working full-time as a Mental Health Counselor at a small non-profit agency, living in an apartment with a partner who goes beyond what I hoped for in my life, bonding with my 4-year-old Maine Coon mix who is featured on this blog, living minimally in pursuit of quality over volume, and otherwise seeking experiences that add value to my life.

Part of this process has redirected me away from social media and into the present moment, wherever that may be. I am realizing more and more that social media has not been adding value to my life, and it instead makes me feel overwhelmed and less connected to others around me. However, I still appreciate the internet as a space to learn a lot and to broaden and maintain my social network. I realize that most social media outlets have become unintentional spaces for me that feel stressful due to the sheer volume of content out there. For example, there are the Facebook birthday reminders for the hundreds of people who have been significant enough to me that I would want to send them personalized birthday regards. Just pause for a moment and think about the small amount of stress that obligatory feeling adds to my daily experience, hundreds of times a year--and that's just the tiny stress of birthday notifications; imagine applying this to the intensity of political and social debates unfolding over a medium that emphasizes physical distance between people and often involves the de-personification of our most important beliefs and values.

I do not say all of this with the intent of putting other people down who actually do find a lot of value in social media, nor do I say it to communicate that I am not interested in keeping informed about the happenings in the lives of those I care about. I simply want to share something I have been learning about myself that has inspired the creation of this blog. I intend for this blog to serve as a composition of what I find useful about social media so it will replace many--though not all--of my other accounts that come with so much excess. This platform speaks to my own organizational style, creativity, and needs.

All this said, I imagine I will use this space to express myself regarding things I am learning about myself, about the human perspective, about my career identity, and in my role as a counselor. I also post pictures and poems, which can be found under the "Posts by Category" tab. Perhaps readers can leave comments with their input to engage with others on the platform, though I urge those of you who know me and are interested in continuing the conversation with me to reach out directly--by phone, WhatsApp, Google Hangouts, text, or email--or, if you are in my area, ask to connect with me in person.

Housekeeping

What this blog IS:

• A place to express myself in a way that utilizes and maximizes on my skills. It's helpful for me to organize my discoveries this way and gives me something to do that is meaningful and fun for me.
• A conversation starter for my friends and family with whom I speak directly and who may read this blog at various intervals 
• An update to all my loved ones who are not in my current everyday communities and life. 
• A potential inspiration for a few people who may randomly happen upon this blog and to whose lives I can hopefully add a little meaning. 

What this blog IS NOT:

• A place to openly OR anonymously bash or bully others. 
• A judgmental or defensive space. I ask that everyone who comes to this page come with an open mind, as that is what I am doing. I'm looking to learn and grow, not close myself off to others' perspectives or refuse to admit I could be wrong or biased. 
• A place that discriminates (excludes people or ideas). That entails everyone agreeing to a few rules of discourse:
• Intend to be empathetic and empowering of others;
• Respectfully voice yourself to others who hurt you if you are able, otherwise dismiss yourself from this online format in order to do self-care, seek support, and/or recenter yourself; and
• Be open to acknowledging when you have hurt someone else so that you may grow from that experience and be kinder moving forward.

This only works if we all take personal responsibility for our role in EACH if these areas. I value my part of that collective responsibility and look to hold myself accountable. I don't know yet if I will be posting about particularly sensitive issues, but I think these rules are helpful and constructive to apply to most situations. Since this is my site I want to set that precedent.