“Tag, you’re it!”
The classic game of phone tag has been played by friends and foes alike. The high stakes of a timely call back has forever plagued long distance friendships. When I arrived in LA, I planned on avoiding the epidemic all together. I decided to do something different. I decided to create an “Adventures Thread.”
So, what is an “Adventures Thread?” Well, it’s a chain of messages that numerous people can be added to, allowing everyone to stay updated on your daily life. You can create it via e-mail or Facebook, but I chose to use Facebook because my friends check their notifications much more than they do their Gmail inboxes.
You start by creating a message to those you want included in the thread. Right now, I have six people included. From there, type away. My first message to them was a bit sappy, but I wanted them to know exactly how I felt. I wrote, “First off, I want to thank you for everything you have done for me over the years. I have never had such a constant feeling of love in my life, and I truly believe that each and every one of you has filled a piece of my heart.” I discussed my fears of losing touch with them, and that I wanted any and all updates they had for me. These people I included in my thread are some of my sorority sisters, and when you go from spending the majority of your time with them to the majority of your time without them, things don’t feel right. I thought my first note was the right way to kick off the chain of messages.
The thread quickly caught on. Soon, my sisters were posting almost every day. I felt like I was back in Boston, back at Emerson. I’m continuously surprised with the written stories, the pictures posted of them hanging out in the dorms, or the videos I can watch daily, most of which are made by me when I don’t have the time to type. Because of the time difference and my crazy internship schedule that usually goes from 7 a.m. to sometime later in the evening, the thread has provided me the luxury of posting whenever and wherever I want. I don’t have to wait for a call back or a chain of missed messages. Instead, I know my friends have received my posts and that I will get a response from all of them soon enough.
The best part about this whole thing is the sharing of experiences. Writing is special because it allows someone to clearly lay out their thoughts. Sometimes, calling feels impersonal and rushed. When someone sends you a written message, however, it signals that the person took the time to type the information out. And because they did, you should take the moment to read it, absorb it, and send a thoughtful response. I love being surprised by personal messages. It means someone is thinking of you. My personal favorite so far dealt with one of my sister’s battles with grad school. She’s been sharing her feelings and fears of acceptance with us, and I feel like I am there with her. I’m amazed she’s comfortable sharing sensitive moments with six other girls. If we didn’t have this thread, I don’t think she would be so open to sharing.
But, I guess you guys are curious about my posts, huh? My goal is to make everyone smile, so I usually just tell them quirky, fun things that have happened to me out here, like: “My life is sick right now..literally. I have been out of work for 2 days now with the flu. Nothing worse than being sick away from home. Umm exciting things…I saw Jason Segel at a bar Saturday. We locked eyes, MAGIC.” So mostly, I am silly, but I love catching them up about the random things that happen to me.
I highly suggest doing this with your friends. Whether they are in Los Angeles, the Netherlands, or studying abroad somewhere else, keep in touch. When you reunite, it will feel like you were never separated in the first place. Now I’m going to add this blog post as an attachment to my “Adventures Thread” and make them all read it.