I think the internet is such a powerful tool. The amount of people I have met through the wonderment of social media, is really quite astonishing. In this modern day, with the opportunity to travel being what it is and our almost obsessive need to openly and publicly share our lives, on a somewhat daily basis, you can't help but slowly start to feel as though, the world isn't really that big of a space after all and that perhaps, we are surprisingly more connected to one another than we previously thought. I mean, how many times has the 'six degrees of separation' concept been proven to you, via a little late night Facebook stalking?
Personally, I choose to accept and embrace this new age of social advance. Yes, okay, sometimes we find ourselves 'over-sharing' and I definitely think there should be better filter systems in place on certain social platforms, because I'm sorry but, I really don't wish to see your child's mucky face after devouring a packet of chocolate buttons, however, when you find yourself feeling isolated in the 'real' world, sometimes it can be life saving to feel connected to someone via a virtual one. Knowing that someone, somewhere, out there in the world, has felt what you're feeling, has gone through what you yourself have struggled with, who understands and is prepared to communicate with you about it, that is something kinda special, something that really, we're quite privileged to have access to as a generation.
I truly love speaking to such a vast variety of people, about a broad range of subjects. I love reading about other people's lives and their experiences. Having that mix of view points, is what helps to give us perspective on our own lives and perhaps our outlook and beliefs too, which I think is really important. A lot of the time I spend online is spent reading other blogs and articles, along with silly things like pinning snaps on Pinterest and forever double tapping on Instagram. There is just so much inspiration out there! It's boundless and never ending and quite frankly, I love it! Okay, sometimes I need to be dragged away from my laptop, or my phone, in order to actually get back into the 'real' world, but I don't think that the virtual one we're all admittedly obsessed with, is a bad place.
I think, if you give it its due, use it wisely and balance out its importance, with that of living in the 'real' world, you can gain a lot. Especially, when you share what you find and in the interest of doing so, I would like to start sharing some of the great things I have found, including the writings of Alessia Di Capua, through her blog Life & Other Teachings. I find her writing to be most poetic and often haunting, such as in this post; 'A Letter To An Old Perfectionist,' which she has kindly allowed me to share with you.
“Forgive yourself for the times you stumbled upstairs without a “Goodnight” to your parents. Forgive yourself for the days you thought coffee was the only food group you needed. Forgive yourself for sticking around people that didn’t make you feel important. Forgive yourself for letting another influence the thoughts you worked so hard to conquer. Forgive yourself for leaving early to just be alone.
Forgive yourself for shunning your mind, when it sang only sweet words of your body and to hell with what others think. Forgive yourself for saying your hips were nothing but ‘gross’. One day they will anchor shopping, laundry, heavy burdens and a few sneaky treats. Forgive yourself for the nights you couldn’t sleep and thought of only the negative. Positivity arrived eventually and those nights hold no grudges. Forgive yourself for feeling angry, fear was big and biting. It’s done, let go.
Celebrate that your story is full to the brim with major departures and even bigger arrivals. This is your life now, don’t forget to laugh. Stand up straight, you have all the armour you could ever need. See with wide eyes and believe with an open mind.”
This is my favourite post of Alessia's thus far and I would even go so far as to say, that I would quite like to have this framed and hung in my apartment...when I get an apartment that is. I find that she very much writes from the heart and in an eloquent manner, which is something I really admire and appreciate. Her photography is also stunning, as you can see in the accompanying photograph, which was taken from another post on her site.
If you would like to read more of her work, you can head over to her blog or find her on:
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