Many, if not most, of our public interactions are automated or electronic these days instead of personal, and few of us know our neighbors. We feel disconnected, which isn’t surprising since we’ve all but edited the people out of our lives.
A Lesson in Personal
This past weekend was a perfect reminder of what personal should look like. I attended the wedding of a very good friend and one of the smartest women I know. It was just the kind of event that suited her and her now husband – simple, intimate, filled with beautiful food and wine, and uniquely them.
All of the details held meaning. The location of the wedding was the spot where they had gotten engaged six months earlier (to the day!), the judge who officiated the wedding was a friend so the words she spoke were filled with emotion and significance, and the guests were family and close friends from all the different parts of their lives.
The result was an evening perfectly focused on the union of this particular couple and their specific marriage. So often this isn’t the case anymore. Focused on the wedding itself, people get wrapped up in the affair. Then, they end up spending a ton of money on an event that feels generic and impersonal.
Adding Personal Back in Our Lives
Before you can give of yourself, that which is truly personal, you have to know who you are and what you want. It’s sounds simple, but it’s not nearly as easy as it sounds. This isn’t the stuff of whims, it’s the stuff of soul searching.
It’s easy to forget amidst the business of daily life that it’s the people who give our lives significance. Not material possessions, social status, or our careers.
To me, everything that matters in life is personal, but I’m looking to live a real, not sanitized or homogenized, intensely personal life. Of or affecting people or an individual’s character. It definitely the messier option, but I’m betting that it’s also the most fulfilling.
As always, I’d love to hear what you think… How are you adding personal experiences to your life?
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To Kathy: I’m so happy for you, Dave and Sullivan, excited for your future, and honored to be a part of your life! Love, Angela
Photo: North Pond Restaurant, Lincoln Park, Chicago
