In Praise of the Internet

This week I fell in love with the Internet all over again.  Now I know the Internet has some drawbacks:  It makes it easier for criminals and terrorists to cooperate, facilitates the sharing of illicit material, is a huge temptation for time-wasting, etc.  But there are is at least one amazing up-side to the Internet, as I've re-discovered this week, and that's....

...CONNECTION

It's no secret that I have taken a while to make new friends and feel connected since moving here.  It's starting to get better, and now that I'm serving regularly and meeting new people, I feel like the day is breaking, so to speak.  Still, there are some areas that are lacking and that's where the Internet is rocking my socks.

The first area of lack has been missing my Ottawa friends.  While there is no substitute for being in someone's actual presence, I have to admit that I love Facebook as the best alternative.  Facebook gets a lot of criticism for allowing people to be lazy and rely on posted updates to see what friends are up to rather than actual contact, and it's true that sometimes you need to sift through a lot of cheesy memes and online gaming updates that you'd rather ignore.  (Except cute cat photos and hilarious dance videos.  Keep those coming!)  Phone calls are great when you can find a good time, but I love being able to check FB and see what my friends' kids are doing these days, and who is sick and which friend had a nice vacation.  It makes me feel like I see some of their day-to-day life, rather than just getting the highlights in an email now and then.  So friends, if you ever think no one wants to see one more update or photo of your child, I do.  (Unless it involves graphic descriptions of bodily functions.  Sorry.)

The second area of lack has been in connecting with women like me. Jumping into a medical life has been challenging, and it's not a coincidence that since I got connected with a medical wives group on Facebook and started reading similarly-themed blogs, I've felt a sense of relief.  There are people out there who get it.  This life is hard sometimes, but we can support each other so we can all get through it.  I was really hesitant to be vulnerable and post my struggles for the Medical Monday link-up, but the responses I've received to Monday's post have really touched me.  I exchanged a few emails with Amber from The Unconventional Doctor's Wife that really encouraged me.  Feeling connected in this way really changed my perspective over the past few days.

 Of course, I still need to be mindful of my screen time and of getting so invested online that I neglect friends "off-line", but today I'm just grateful for these means of connection.  Thanks to everyone who commented this week and took part in the link-up, and thanks to my friends from all over who keep me in the loop!