You Matter

According to www.worldometers.info the current world population is over 7.6 billion, give or take a few million. 3.2 billion of those folks use the internet. As of the second quarter of 2018, Facebook had 2.23 billion monthly active users. I had thought for many years that I was one of only a few individuals on the planet with a computer who does not have a Facebook page. Frankly, I had been pretty proud of that “fact.” Unfortunately, based on the numbers, it looks like I’m just one of about a billion people that use the internet that don’t have a Facebook account. Dang! And I thought I was part of a select few. Now I find out I’m part of a select billion or so.

Last week as I was walking around my office building getting a breath of fresh air and lamenting my recent discovery of how average and non-special I felt, I came upon the following painted rock perched precariously on the electrical box next to the mailbox.

My encounter brought a smile to my face, a spark to my heart and frankly, a tear to my eyes. I had no idea who left it, or why, so I took it into my office and did a Google search for “painted rocks.” Lo and behold, there is a Facebook group called “719 Rocks!” that paints rocks and hides them throughout the 719 area code to “brighten someone’s day, send a needed message, or just to spread joy.” Turns out the group has 48,156 members and was started about two years ago! Wow! Just what I needed at exactly the right time! Mission accomplished! Thanks 719 Rocks!

Here’s the lesson I learned. It turns out that while each of us is unique, special and fearfully and wonderfully made, we were also created as social creatures, meant to be with each other, not spend our days and nights alone. Don’t get me wrong. I love my “alone” time. It gives me a chance to recharge, regroup and get organized. But maybe I’ll get that Facebook account set up after all. And 719 Rocks! may be the first group I join.