Visitor or Resident?

Native or Immigrant, visitor or resident, tomaytoh or tomahtoh.  As our world changes, we are constantly trying to define, re-define and categorize our lives, our selves in context with new ideas and our new ideas in context with new technologies.  It's all truly fascinating to me.

I posted a comment on Pam's blog just a little bit ago.  Most days, I'm not sure where I am, where I'm supposed to be much less who I am in a virtual sense.  I think for me, the struggle lies in the commitment of time to maintain a virtual me.  

For many of us, juggling career and family, the days we maintain our real selves are a feat much less maintain a virtual self!  I'm not quite where I was as a new mom...I do shower on a consistent basis and do, in fact, eat real meals not just my kids' leftovers, however, squeezing any more time to maintain my virtual life seems mind-boggling at best.  

Must I be connected all the time?  I'm with Pam, in many ways, I want to connect in real time, with real people and look into their real eyes.  On the other hand, I enjoy Facebook and love to lurk in my friends' lives.  It's fun to bump into someone and say, "I love the pictures of your son at his baseball tournament, you must be sooo proud!", "I went to Italy, too, did you happen to go to the Piazza Populo and try the pistachio gelato" or "Did you get my donation for you 5K?"

In all, the message from this humble resident-visitor hybrid, is, balance, people, balance.  Make time for those in front of you, visit with those far away and cultivate those online spaces and relationships in the same way.  Make time for the things that really light you up and you won't lose your footing physically or virtually.