Lessons in Social Networking at Mother's Knee - 1 2 3

We are surrounded by people all speaking at once. We labor under the weight of an enormous list of "To Do",
"Should Do" and "Can Do" entries. Let's not allow the sheer volume get us down. Today I thought about the
basics in an email to a beleaguered friend, who was feeling overwhelmed by " this new social networking stuff. "

Social networking is what we do naturally. I thought my friends here would have additional Lessons and Stories to tell.Social Networking: Lessons 1 2 3 It's natural. It's fun.

Lesson One: Expanding our Network.
We begin our social networking on our mother's knee, after all. What would life be without friends and family? I still remember the eureka moment I felt as a babe in my mother's arms when I realized a strong connection between my mother and two other people. My father picked me up from my crib and passed me to one of the people in the room, who held me, spoke to me, then passed me to the other for more of the same. The other then handed me to my mother. Sitting in my mother's arms, feeling safe and snug against her breast, I listened to their gentle voices, felt the loving connection between my mother and them and knew they were special. The other two people turned out to be her parents and I attached the type of loyalty, respect and love to them that I had for my mother. The benefits to me were a long term, loving relationship.

Lesson Two: Listen to your Mentors.
I was born in the month of September, on an elevator going up to the delivery room in Coleman's hospital. The elevator part is not germaine to my story, but I like to tell it. I like to say that I was born going up and I still like to fly. But, let's get back to my story. One beautiful, spring day when the air was warm, the sky was blue and the grass was freshly mowed, my mother pulled a little dress over my head and carried me out to the back yard. She spread a blanket on the ground and sat me down on one side. She stretched out in a tube top and shorts beside me, her shoulder length, brown hair spilling onto the blanket like a wispy, brown halo. I sat quietly not knowing what I was looking at, but entranced by the new sights and sounds all around me. Suddenly, from an open window nearby, I could hear the house phone ringing. My mother jumped up, startled, all legs and elbows. Putting her hands on my shoulders, she told me to stay where I was. "Don't move off this blanket." It was a white, cotton blanket, soft to the touch. She ran around the side of the house and disappeared. I understood what her words meant, but they didn't matter to me. I was adrift on a cotton raft in a sea of green. It was a magical moment of opportunity. I began to crawl in a desire for discovery. Within a couple strides I was off the blanket and into the green, grass. It felt cool; it felt wonderful to be loose in the out of doors! I continued to crawl, not really aiming at anything in particular, but something on my body began to hurt. It took me a few more strides across the lawn to realize the unpleasant sensation was coming from my knees. Stopping my forward motion, I sat back on my diapered bottom and looked at my knees. I had to figure out what was happening to me and why. My knees were pink with striped indentations. I put my chubby little palms down on the grass. It was as prickly and sharp as it was beautiful. Wow! I began to crawl again, but the unpleasant sensation was even stronger. So, I sat back down on my padded behind to decide what to do next. I laid my palms again on the grass around me. Well, that grass was definitely the problem. Satisfied with my assessment of the situation, I crawled back to the safety of the blanket. I learned several things that day, one of which was, Mother gave good advice. Listening to those who are here to help you, can save you pain and trouble.

Lesson Three: Give to Get.
When my mother returned shortly to find me sitting serenely on the blanket where she had left me, she was thrilled. "Oh," she congratulated me. "What a good girl!" I reveled in her happy, playfull congratulations. If you give someone what they need, you get happiness in return.