The Fresh smell of Rain.

I wakened finally this morning, to the coolness after the rain and some respite from the stifling heat that we have experienced in the last week.  I was grateful for the puddles and moisture lying all over.  It felt like when we finally have a break through after many months of struggle and pain and hurt.  It lead me to think of peace and gaining a perspective on where we find ourselves and to begin to process the moments in between.  I want to try to be someone who is comfortable in their skin and honest with their reality.  I want to socialise with such people, who can be honest about their reality. Social media has been in the news again with twitter wars on racism and prosecutions for Facebook comments. It would seem that social media dominates the landscape from business to private lives and it is here to stay. Many people make it the last thing they do before switching off their light and the first thing they check in the morning. And yet much of what is posted is actually of the things that we used to share in our minds or captured in special moments with people we care about.  It is extremely important to surround ourselves with people that are neither perfect nor paint pictures of being such.  Rather people that can smile at their flaws and admit that they are wrong.  Now we have ways to give expression to this, by posting profiles and selfies and Emoji pics. Authenticity is hard to find and too often we let our lives become, what others opinions are and not their own truth.  Clearly I am a hopeless romantic, but I do long for days of mystery and anticipation of things to come, instead of instant responses and comments made even before sufficient time has been spent on the possible outcomes. I don't want a perception of perfection - I want real people and genuine reality. Decisions are to be exact and concise and considered and the hastiness can lead to misunderstanding and a whole lot of assumptions. The problem is that it is expected of us to provide immediate answers and if we don't know something, to look it up instantly and our authority is no longer to be found in wisdom and discernment, but rather in Wikipedia and Google. I wonder how many mistakes are made because the decision is too quick and a different outcome could have been achieved if we took a little longer to ponder the question and where it might lead. In a very good article I read over the internet?? a study conducted over a 75 year period revealed that good relationships with other human beings was what made a difference to many people's happiness and longevity. Those with friends were healthier, lived longer and enjoyed a more fulfilled life. What happened to talking every day to friends and being accepted for who you are and to be able to truly connect with people over a meal or a glass of wine. Some would argue that using the internet, we could simply get more friends and more options, but it still seems that we only have a few truly good friends and that taken over a lifetime, they will remain the persons we connect with and who we truly know.  For me the balance in life is becoming more important and if I want to make my life count, I need to make sure that I connect with the right people and truly learn what I can from their experiences and actual conversations.  We are better off walking away from people and situations that threaten our peace of mind, self respect, or self worth.  We betray ourselves when we do not follow the hearts desire for what the heart is attracted to, is our destiny.