About 3 months ago, I started reading my daily blogs through the feed reader, Bloglines. One day, Marla, one of my favorite bloggers put us on notice that she was thinking about quitting the blogosphere because she was not making any progress on her project and, let’s face it, no one wanted to read about her trying over and over and failing. She cited the rapid fall off in comments. Well, she received upwards of 30 comments on that post. Commenters came out of the woodworks. There were even some first timers coaxing her to keep her doors open because of her inspiration. Where did all these folks come from, you guessed it, our feed readers.

I noticed then that I was guilty of the same behaviour in the real world as I was in the virtual world. In February of this year I was convinced that life in Raleigh was a monotonous drool. That there was nothing here to do. I was tired of feeling lonely and isolated and I wanted to move back to Miami after 6 years to be in an upbeat city close to my family. I shunned any plausible explanation for my malaise. When asked what I did for fun, I responded with a blank stare.

Once I started to speak of my plan, I think a couple of my friends started Operation GNAT (Get Nneka Around Town). It worked. I was introduced to a whole new Raleigh. I found some hot spots, some local jaunts, and grew to appreciate the rich southern comfort of this town. When a friend and my parents came to town, I proudly showed off my new city.

I was taught as I was growing up that you don’t do anything on a school night. Today, I make it a point to get out at least twice during the week and be around people. Even if I’m by myself in a trendy coffee house, I feel like I have connected with the world. Better than that, I made myself available for the unexpected.

The other day, at the bookstore, I had an intriguing conversation about natural health and modern medicine with a physician who is now an acupuncturist and chiropractor. I find out about local bands and go to art exhibitions. I enjoy a scenic park with a lake smack in the middle. I’ve expanded my life 100 fold just by getting out of my house, getting out of my shell.

The chances of meeting someone new in your house are slim to none. Get out of your house and go see the world. Get from behind your computer on the forums and meet a real, live human friend for lunch. Turn off the television and participate in the real drama that is YOUR LIFE!

In Spirit,
Nneka

PS. If you insist on staying behind the computer, be sure to subscribe to Balanced Life Center’s feed, but remember to come out of the feed reader to comment:-) Now go live!