Don’t Get Mad, Laugh

One of the potential drawbacks of having an online presence is how easy it is to project an image that isn’t actually you.

This happens in real life as well but it’s a little easier to do online. Pretending to be someone you’re not takes more effort in face-to-face communication. Body language, tone of voice or even a bad day can make your mask slip.

We all do it to some extent. For most of us it’s the result of a thousand small decisions instead of a conscious choice, though. This isn’t something anyone can prevent 100% any more than you or I could wake up tomorrow and decide to never make a mistake again.

It’s simply not happening.

But it’s still something that crosses my mind as I write. What impressions do new readers form of me based on the stories I share here? If we met in person what would they find surprising?

With this in mind let me tell you a story:

Over the last several weeks the following scenario has repeated itself multiple times:

 Drew and I decide to watch a television show.

We start watching. The plot thickens.

Suddenly an extended family members calls.

The time of day and day of the week varies. The family members do not. Somehow both of them have managed to call us while we’re midway through a show about 75% of the time this autumn.

Last night it happened again and I got annoyed. Logically I knew they weren’t trying to interrupt us and that this was a series of coincidences.

I was still annoyed. All I wanted was  45 minutes to watch our favourite scifi/fantasy show. The idea that we couldn’t find a time of day in which this was possible was so irritating.

And then it became funny. As problems go this was a silly one with a simple solution: do something else.

Go get a snack. Check email. Stretch. Do anything other than get mad.

Now you know another one of my deep, dark secrets: I’m an incredibly patient and understanding human being…until or unless I’m cut off from my shows. 😉

Respond

How well does your online presence mesh with who you are offline? If we met in person what would I find most surprising? What petty things have driven you up the wall recently?

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0 Responses to Don’t Get Mad, Laugh

  1. TWF

    LOL! A good friend of mine was in the habit of calling and just venting for half an hour, or even a full hour. It’s great to talk to my friend, but when I’m not with him, I’ve often got other things going on, and that’s a costly lump of time. I guess my friend noticed the impatience in my voice when I answered the phone and remarked:

    “You always seem like you’re mad or in a hurry when I call”

    I said “Well, you have to keep in mind that when you call someone, you are calling at a time when it’s convenient for you, not necessarily the other way around.” 🙂

    I think many people would think that I am a hostile or angry because of the nature of the content on my blog, but that is pretty much the exact opposite of what I am face-to-face. Not that I am really a different person online than in person, but there are different aspects of my personality that are most easily played out online. And not that I am hostile or angry in general, but people may think that based on the subject matter of the blog dissecting what many people believe.

  2. tammy

    Mute those phones! 🙂

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