And I Quote...

If the weather gods had cooperated, I would be in New York City today, enjoying a short spring break getaway and meeting a new friend I’ve known online from the Who family. Alas, yet another snowstorm fell upon Toronto, and I’m at home looking at the white blanket that has wrapped the city once again. It seems to be an endless winter, but spring is coming, I’ve been promised.

If you are on Facebook, Twitter, or Tumblr. I’m sure you are familiar with these little windows of quotes or sayings. I’m not sure they have a formal name (‘quote cards’, perhaps?) but they make frequent appearances on my newsfeed and daily scrolls. Sometimes I roll my eyes, and sometimes they captivate me. Sometimes I even go searching for one of them via Google because to frame an idea or a thought with a pretty background or photo just seems more elegant than stating the words on a bare typed surface.

The two most common quote cards are the Keep Calm and… eCard series. I’ve very rarely shared any of those, except to pay tribute to the glorious medicinal effects of gin or to make a self-deprecating remark about myself.

What I have noticed after scrolling back is that my use of these cards has had very specific purposes. They appear mostly in my profile or cover photo, and less so in my actual Timeline. In my profiles and covers, they are very much a proclamation of who I am, what I believe, or what I love.

Often, they are a shoutout to my friends and family for a particular kindness, or for being the bantering goofballs that they are.

However, in the past year when menopause hit me over the head and turned me into a moody teenager, many of my cards seemed to be very much the declarations of an often-depressed, sometimes-excited 14-year old. At times, I was lost…

Fighting hopelessness…

And then the strangest thing happened: in the middle of making the use of these cards a bit of a habit, I found out that many friends of mine identified with some of the thoughts I had thrown out there, and seemed to appreciate them. By posting the words and images to encourage myself to climb out of the dark places I found myself in, I discovered that I was not alone and that others responded to the call, however unintentional it had initially been.

When you realize you are not alone, you begin to understand that by connecting with others and trying to support them, you can sometimes make a small difference in their day.

And sometimes you post something you find profound or clever without really thinking of anyone in particular.

And a friend responds with the most touching words, and it all comes full circle.