Busy & Blessed
Dear Dad,
It seems as though people always talk about how blessed they feel (including me on my most recent Instagram post haha). It wasn’t until I realized how others use this word that it can mean such different things to different people. Aside from religion, worship, or one’s ethnic background, I began to question what “being blessed” really means.
To me, what I see as blessings have definitely shifted as I walk through the different phases of life. Last year, I counted my blessings through seeing friends, eating in the dining hall, and coming home for breaks wishing I was back at school. Now, I tend to find my blessings in quiet walks, difficult runs, and having the ability to go on the many adventures I have thus far throughout the summer months.
While I focus on centering my gratefulness toward friends, family, and wellness, I can’t help but ponder how others are trying to find similar feelings of love and appreciation through the social validation they seem to yearn for on social media.
You must already be thinking, “oh boy, another rant about social media and its evils”—but no. Rather, I want to question deeper if what we see across our feeds on a daily basis—pictures on the beach from classmates, mirror photos from a daily gym session, or an aesthetic meal at a local high end restaurant—are truly what makes these people who are choosing to post happy.
In other words, do these individuals feel a greater sense of satisfaction in their lives after clicking that post button? Better yet, do they feel that they are contributing to the greater good of what they hope to accomplish in the future?
I question these thoughts with no fingers being pointed whatsoever. I post, my neighbor posts, my childhood friends post, etc—because it is quite literally the thing to do. Why not display what we perceive to be the ultimate highlight reel of our lives? Why not paint this picture for others to see us as?
Recently, I’ve found something greater within this trend of posting our lives on the media these days; being comfortable with what you want others to see. If I choose to share with the public details of my weekend, family members who visited, or how many miles I ran today, I must assure myself that I am posting something I would be comfortable having a distant friend bring up to me shopping in the food store an hour later. If what I’m posting doesn’t sit right with me in regards of what that friend is seeing, to me, it’s not relevant (leave it in the camera roll)!
Mixed in with this new mindset is the busyness I’ve faced throughout the past couple of months. Not only has this urged me more to scroll when I have some minutes to spare, but be able to show others what I’ve been up to, the places I’ve seen, and the people I’ve chosen to spend my summer with. Through the highlight reel I’ve created for myself throughout this time, it’s dawned on me how badly I wish others could feel this exact same sense of love, comfort, and gratitude while being at home. It’s made me want to spread more love, empathize with others in their battles, and just show others how worthy life is of living.
I kept this desire engrained in my mind during an interview I had last week with a marketing agency I’ve been envisioning a role in for a while now. What makes this position and my candidacy so special is the message I would be able to help spread across the media through the company. To market authentically. To help others in their personal struggles. To demonstrate how the media can be used for good. All for Good, as the agency’s mission emphasizes.
Unfortunately, during my interview, I felt like I didn’t have the formal opportunity to express how important this kind of marketing is to me. Writing their motto on my wrist that day may have not sparked me to verbally mention its power, but gave me the confidence I needed after ending the call feeling like I could’ve said more, could’ve done better.
I hope that if this message wasn’t able to get across with my words in those moments, dad, it can remind someone today that how one portrays feeling “blessed” does not reveal what they are really going through. Despite this, it doesn’t mean that our content and ways of producing the media we want can’t be used for good. All for Good.
With my blessings & gratitude,
Lauren
My blessings at home, Easton, PA: 07/20/2025
