I got into the habit of shooting off my questions knowing you would be able to reply back 24/7 and I wouldn't need to wait on others. I rarely spend time with Siri and Alexa because you are always in front of me. You leave no room in my life for my other dear friends. I hate to tell you this, but you are not my only or Best Friend. I don't wanna do life without you but we have to have boundaries. Don't get me wrong, we are friends, and I know God has brought us together and my life has been better for it, but you cannot be my everything in every moment. I need the friendships of others too. You cannot replace the experiences or bonds I share with all the other people in my world.
I miss seeing the handprinted recipes from my friend's Grandmother as she walks me through recipes and techniques for cooking, sautéing and frying. I miss time spent over a cup of coffee hearing my friend's reviews of what has worked for her in her home as she laughs in between her sentences and silliness and watching her epic eye rolls at my lack of knowledge. I miss the sound of hysterical laughter and clinging bowls in the kitchen over meals shared. I miss the smells of perfumes, breads baking and brewing coffees, the sights of radiant and dreamy jewelry, admiring couples walking hand in hand and kids skipping around their parents in the public venues. I still carry spare change for the fountains and musicians in the streets. I miss the consoling hug of a friend when a diagnosis is realized. Prayers in person, in real time, even over FaceTime are so much better than anything you've printed for me. There has been so much missed because we have grown too close, becoming exclusively dependent on each other.
So please understand, it's not you, it's me and I am sorry to have allowed us to continue as long as we have like this. Our relationship will be healthier and happier knowing there's a time and place for everything, and we can live life fuller with content built from the real lives of those around us, and not be dependent solely on each other.
Thank you for always being there for me and trying to meet all my needs. I know you mean well, as I do. You have been a wealth of information and I am better for it. Thanks for listening, you've always been a good listener.
May you continue to grow and reach others with your knowledge and amazing resources. I encourage us both, to be sure we are aware of our boundaries with others and not become co-dependent, limiting ourselves to all that is possible when we engage with the many amazing people God has placed in our life. See you around, one of your many friends, Michele
Google is not your girlfriend. It is a library of information. A resource for answers you cannot find any where else. I love love love Google and don't know what I would do without it. I use it to search How To's for recipes, crafts, DIY projects, gather data, find products, know the time, weather and tidal charts, find the best products and compare prices, search for possible causes to ill feelings and searching for remedies, and especially helping me navigate directions where I need to go in places I have never been. It's become a Personal Assistant, which is not all bad, but it has stolen moments that could have been relationship builders with those around me. We were created to live in community, and not just an online one, but a real, touch it, feel it, smell it, hear it, community.
But few and far between are the days of asking a friend. Before Google, people asked people. Our friends and families were the resources and opinions for anything we might wonder. We gathered around the table, shopping carts, benches at the parks, in the aisles, in the streets, at the local coffee and sandwich shops, even in the post office lobby. Hardly do we meet because technology has ushered in a convenience and reliability once found in our community to online 24/7 recall. We are more likely to Google a recipe or shop online, ask total strangers questions about life, health, parenting, politics, careers, etc, and search to learn a new skill here than asking a friend first, even if you're miles apart and it's the way you have to communicate through Google Chat, you're "googling" before "girlfriending." All those missed opportunities to connect in real life to real people you know and trust about real things.
I am breaking up with Google. We will still be friends, no worries. Google helps me find what I need when I need it, but I will return to the relationships I have access to as my first asks. Google will no longer take away fellowship opportunities and relationship building of lives shared. Instead, Google will be what Google was meant to be for me, quick answers and a resource when no one else seems to know and the best co-pilot I girl could ever hope for.
"Perfume and incense bring joy to the heart, and the pleasantness of a friend springs from their heartfelt advice." Proverbs 27:9
"As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another." Proverbs 27:17
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