Yes! This is so true. I’ve thought about it but not made the distinction between connection and validation. And I also thought about that connection also means listening and having an exchange, while validation is all about me. Right?
I was never on AOL as I grew up in Sweden and I didn’t really get the Away Message but it sounds like a great thing.
Yes totally Lotta - agree connection is listening and an exchange, not just one-way affirmation. Ha the away message was peak social media IMO but that's just me :) Thanks for reading!! <3
Emily, get out of my head! I've been thinking about the idea of "witness" nonstop lately, but from the other side: a lifetime in long-term relationships and now my first real bout of singleness. A quick perusal of your page showed me that we have been untangling many other same ideas too (not to mention: I'm a fellow "tech by day, writing by night" soldier myself). So happy to have found your newsletter!
Haha, wow, funny we come at it from different angles but meet in similar places! Also awesome so many things in common generally - excited to subscribe to yours, too! Thanks for reading!!
If you weren't so adept at articulating all of my thoughts and feelings, I would tell you to get out of my brain, but since you are, you're allowed to stay.
Seriously! All of this!! I've lamented the loss of Twitter and not being able to spout my little bon mots, but I'd never really thought of the connection of being in a committed relationship and feeling that need to be seen and validated slightly less. It's definitely real (I've been with my partner for a little less than three years, and also started dating him when I was about to turn 40, after a years-long period of being mostly single). Anyway, here's to being witnessed.
Hahah Jill! This means so much! It really is so funny all the parallels we have, kind of wild. This one took a long time to figure out, I've been thinking about it for a while, so I'm really glad it came across as coherent! :) Thanks for reading! <3
Yes! This is so true. I’ve thought about it but not made the distinction between connection and validation. And I also thought about that connection also means listening and having an exchange, while validation is all about me. Right?
I was never on AOL as I grew up in Sweden and I didn’t really get the Away Message but it sounds like a great thing.
Yes totally Lotta - agree connection is listening and an exchange, not just one-way affirmation. Ha the away message was peak social media IMO but that's just me :) Thanks for reading!! <3
Emily, get out of my head! I've been thinking about the idea of "witness" nonstop lately, but from the other side: a lifetime in long-term relationships and now my first real bout of singleness. A quick perusal of your page showed me that we have been untangling many other same ideas too (not to mention: I'm a fellow "tech by day, writing by night" soldier myself). So happy to have found your newsletter!
Haha, wow, funny we come at it from different angles but meet in similar places! Also awesome so many things in common generally - excited to subscribe to yours, too! Thanks for reading!!
Loved this!! The away message paragraph lolll
Thanks Jen!! <3 Omg I could write forever on the away message lol
If you weren't so adept at articulating all of my thoughts and feelings, I would tell you to get out of my brain, but since you are, you're allowed to stay.
Seriously! All of this!! I've lamented the loss of Twitter and not being able to spout my little bon mots, but I'd never really thought of the connection of being in a committed relationship and feeling that need to be seen and validated slightly less. It's definitely real (I've been with my partner for a little less than three years, and also started dating him when I was about to turn 40, after a years-long period of being mostly single). Anyway, here's to being witnessed.
Hahah Jill! This means so much! It really is so funny all the parallels we have, kind of wild. This one took a long time to figure out, I've been thinking about it for a while, so I'm really glad it came across as coherent! :) Thanks for reading! <3