Support system

Support has varying roles. Whether it's the brace I wore after I rolled my ankle in a pair of wedges last week, a customer service line (we're looking at you tech support) to help us fix that problem, or a shoulder to cry on after a bad day, support almost always means helping. All relationships require support, but not everything is as simple as the ankle brace example. What I mean here is that when I get hurt, my ankle brace 100% supports me, right? I use it for two days, feel better, and put that brace right back in the medicine cabinet. It doesn't need to talk about it's problems, bad day, paper cut, or anything. I receive all of the benefits without having to give anything back. Real relationships however, require a balance of asking for support and supporting. How this balance works is quite interesting.

When I take a look at my own relationships, I have ones where I am consistently asking for support and ones where I am giving more support. For instance, I have the luxury of having parents who will drop everything to listen to me, console me, and support whatever decision I make. Do I offer the same level of support to them? Likely not, but the role of a parent to a child is hardly ever 50/50 and they understand that. On the other hand, I have had friends who I offer advice to at all points, but I know are not able to offer that same support to me.

Then, there are relationships when the balance is more equal. When I look at my relationship with Zack, I see the support we offer each other, but the struggle to understand each other as well. Blind support is what parents are for, but with Zack it's ensuring we understand what we are supporting. There are few things, in my mind, as imperative as knowing that the most important people in your life have a "I will drop anything and be there for you" mentality. I used to think that came from the length of a relationship, but I realize that it is much more about the connection and trust you develop with someone. There are people I have met later in life who have proven time and again to be there when I need it.

For me, asking for help is hard. But, knowing that there are people lined up to help makes it easier to ask. Part of the balance is knowing when to ask, and for what issue. And conversely, it is also knowing when to simply be there when someone doesn't ask.We all have support systems. And we all have people we have to support. It's ensuring that the people we keep around are aware of the balance.

Making the world a better place

There were times during my elementary, middle school, and high school education that were dedicated to giving back and learning about the environment. Gearing up for Earth Day was a big part of this of course, but depending on the teacher, the importance of recycling, how to eat right, and how the world depends on itself was talked about as well. But, it didn't stick past high school. I mean truthfully, I don't really think I gave thought about the environment beyond what was convenient for myself. Sure, global warming was "happening", but really was I the cause? And even if I was, would I be able to stop it? The hardest thing about a big issue like the environment is helping people make everyday changes to their life. We all intrinsically want to live in a better place, but how?

I watched a documentary last night called, "Carbon Nation", which literally explained how the burning of carbon (a fossil fuel) is exacerbating global warming to the point where we are on the cusp of something serious. No, not Kim Kardashian breaks up with Kris Humphries serious (note the sarcasm), but wildlife dying, temperature changing, our world as we know it not existing serious. What I found intriguing about this documentary is that all over the country, people are using what the world gives us to solve our problems. Wind energy, water energy, solar panels, etc. Did you know that in one day the sun heats the earth with MORE than enough energy that we would need in our lifetime?

So what can we do? I understand that sometimes humans feel incredibly small in front of such a large issue. I know I do. And, it is much easier to continue on the path we're on then to make a change. But, we need to be aware. We need to understand that this is not something to turn our noses up at. Clean energy and making the switch to this is important. It is important to the Earth and the environment, it is important to a struggling economy by increasing a new sector and jobs, and it is important for us to give something better to the next generation. The planet actually gives us everything we need to survive. It is up to us to wake up and use it.

Quality Content

I've been thinking a lot about content. What makes it stick, what makes it good, and on the flip side, what makes bad content? While content, whether it be stories, songs, folklore, etc has always been part of how humans communicate, when did it become the holy grail for marketers, advertisers, brands, and companies?

Let's start with the definition of content: Something that is to be expressed through some medium, as speech, writing, or any of various arts. The interesting point here is that the medium has changed or rather, increased. While content used to be passed through word of mouth, letters, television, or radio, it now has a seemingly never ending distribution model. But, does that mean everyone and everyone HAS to be there? I don't think so.

Good content has a why behind it. Not only does it fulfill a need, but it should be the consumer's or human's rather, option on when to consume. A breaking news story, a friend's personal accomplishment, a funny picture, or even new music- we can consume this type of information 24/7. Both a blessing and a burden, it desensitizes us and distracts us from quality.

So many pieces of content are written for their search rankings, not for the pleasure of creating something from scratch. Tag this word, link off to another site, all to ensure you're seen by a consumer. Of course, someone's hard work deserves to be seen, but when will we get back to a place where a great review suffices as a way to drive people there?

Lack of attention

I know, it's been awhile. And I also know this isn't the first time I've gone radio silent for a period of time. I love this blog and more importantly I love writing. Whatever I have on my mind this is an amazing forum where I receive awesome feedback on what I am thinking. There truly is something to be said about gaining praise on something you've created.

So why the lack of attention? Well, there have been many changes (more to come on them soon), which are likely part of this. What I want to talk about today is when life throws a curveball how that affects my day-to-day life.  I am a schedule person. Dates are planned weeks in advance, trips are made with a google document tracking us down to the minute. I would say, I struggle with a "going with the flow" attitude. There are people who are reading this thinking, wow I don't know how you operate like that. I have a friend who just told me she is planning to travel to Italy for two weeks on her own with no real plans. I envy that, but I know it's not me.

So when life changes plans I stall. Not only do I stall, but I focus on how to resolve the change to bring me back to my regular schedule. And then, I forget to do the things that are part of that. My gym schedule is thrown off, I forget to cook dinner or food shop, and I also forget to write. I should multi-task, keep a semblance of my normal life and adjust to the changes as much as I can without over-compensating. So this is the first step. I am back to writing regularly. And I hope you stay tuned, especially when I dive a little deeper into what's been going on.