An intentional month's hiatus from posting on social media has honestly gone by quickly and quite smoothly. I've enjoyed it. Oh, I check Instagram and Twitter and am delighted by entries posted by a handful of the XC athletes showing his/her workout for the day. And most recently I've looked for posts that actually impact their lives and mine such as news on fall sports or schools opening. But I've also made an effort to weed out and avoid posts that serve only to either cause me stress and anxiety or rile me. For example, I no longer follow any politicians or journalists. While I want to stay informed, I find that I worry about the state of the economy, the health of the population in general, and the future of my country when I take the time to read and then consider what's out there on social media. And honestly I don't know what to believe any more, so I won't try. I will watch and listen to news "in the moment" and form my own opinion and position based upon what I observe. I won't rely on other's social media posts to influence me. Yesterday, I recalled that when I was in high school my class was asked to write an essay on whether the Beatles "changed" the times or were "changed by them." At the time, I think understandably, I came down on the side of the band's influence on my generation and thus having changed the times. In retrospect I don't see it that way at all. The '60s was a time of change for every generation and the music and the lyrics of the Beatles and hundreds of bands like them adjusted accordingly. It was they who had to change. And while it may be a poor comparison (after all I am not an "influencer") I had hoped to use social media to positively impact others and effect changes, but find only that I have been changed by it instead. And as you can probably guess, not necessarily in a positive way.
Looking ahead I will use social media for what I believe should be its primary function; to provide information. Nobody really needs to know my thoughts or listen to me pontificate on Twitter. (You may get that in the Blog apparently!) Folks do need to know what time practice starts or where our next meet will be held. So I'll restrict the posts to those types of things. In any event, actions speak louder than words is the maxim, and what I do should carry far more weight than what I say. And I will continue to be there every day, coaching the kids and doing everything I can to set a positive example while serving them and the community. That will never change.
I look forward to our upcoming season with the same enthusiasm and energy as any that preceded it. And I am excited to see how summer training went for both our teams. Emails have been sent to prospective recruits and I hope to see a few new faces. Attendance at our Strength and Conditioning sessions each Tuesday and Thursday has been impressive throughout the summer. And I have every reason to believe that the fall season will take place and provide many memorable moments and more than a few great stories. We're down to about one month before we get under way and I can't wait!
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