Skunk cabbage and Social media.

There is little in common from the first sight. Well, there is little in common, period, but nevertheless, those two things happen hand-in-hand to me, so here it goes...

My good friend Gunhild from Spokane, WA, had posted a photo of Paintbrush on her Facebook page a week ago. Paintbrush is my favorite mountain flower, so I commented. Apparently, it was one of those games, where now that you commented, you're involved in a social media game - in this case you get assigned a flower yourself by your friend and have to post it on your FB page. I am not into gaming FB and clogging the outlets, but I dd want to tell the story, because, faith had it, the flower assigned to me is Skunk Cabbage. Huh?

Well, here is the story (and Gunhild did not know anything about it). Back when I lived in PNW, and my best training partner was Mike Burke, he would come with trail names for his friends (his was Bushwhacker). I had some lingering of Bear (between being Russian and kind of tough), but frankly, I wasn't i to it enough to get it stuck. One day in the spring we were running up high in Columbia River Gorge, our paradise, as always, getting slightly lost because I like taking weird turns, talking, short on water, occasionally screaming into the air just because...and as we ran through the field of marsh and skunk cabbage, I noticed how pretty the flowers are, yet how stinky the smell is. To which Mike responded: "Well, since I always get to run behind you, pretty flower, let me tell you, you don't smell much better". And then he added "Wild flower you are".

I didn't get offended, or no. And no, this new name didn't get stuck either, though he still calls me that. But I did go out to a tattoo place and got myself a "Wild flower" - along with engraved Chinese character inside that means "Bear", and if you read it with petals, it would give you "Able".
  Photo - original from June 2006.

As for Social Media - and why I rather write this long story to share instead of simply posting a photo of Skunk Cabbage on my Facebook - here is  this video that came to my attention on the same day my assigned flower came.

It is 15 min (last 7 are Q&A), and in the nutshell, it's about staying connected vs being FB friends. There is a reason I don't play "accumulate friends", don't accept friendship offers unless I've talked to people about something beyond "Good job" at a race, hope that those I do have care about my life somewhat - as I care for theirs, and because I do, I prefer to comment on their posts instead of just like, since "Like is a symbol of laziness" - and I totally agree.

Facebook is a great tool. I tried to get off (3.5 years), take 1-2 weeks breaks, but by now, I do realize in this day and age, this is the way to communicate. Then communicate, damn it! Talk! And if you don't - it's ok, we don't need to be friends, don't have to, it's not bad, but please, don't be upset and don't take it personally that I cut a few names off. When I share about something - I'd like to know it's been read.

And since I express myself rather wordy, here is a blog to stay:)