To my regret, I believe that our attention span has been reduced to a photo and a mere blurb. It appears we are not very interested in the story behind the shot but merely interested in the equivalent of Snapchat or Instagram. Try to take this with a grain of salt, but hear me out.

I recently returned from a visit to Norway. It is a place I love. It was a time of connecting and reestablishing friendships with old friends and family. Much of my experience was shared with my aging parents, and I am very thankful I had this opportunity to be a part of their return to Norway.

Throughout my visit, I posted a bunch of pictures on Instagram and Facebook, maybe a bit too much. Both these sites are platforms for sharing one's journey. It’s an opportunity to keep your viewers up-to-speed and connect with viewers known and unknown. I do love posting pictures on Instagram and sometimes the picture is the whole story. But is it possible by sharing so much of one’s story on social media, it eliminates the need to orally share one's experience?

I think, at least on some level, that may be the case. The viewer feels like they saw all the photos eliminating the need to talk about the experience. However, what I'm finding is I want more. I want to talk about my adventure-not just show a quick blurb on Instagram. I love sharing my experience through photos but I also want to dive a bit deeper. I want to share the more emotional aspect of travel, the part that connects people and culture.

For those of you who know me, I look forward to hearing the story behind your photos, since I too may have been remiss. I'm eager to learn about your adventure, not necessarily for my benefit (although I'm sure I will benefit) but for yours. For me, blogging is an outlet that helps me share my experience. I hope I offer the reader something familiar. It's a means of inviting people into my world, which is something I very much enjoy.

So be curious. Be more than a viewer of the picture. Go a little deeper, especially with those closest to you. I understand not everyone is interested in sharing their experience and perhaps the 1000 words the picture portrays is enough. But maybe being a bit more deliberate and curious of others will open up a conversation and allow you to delve a little deeper in a new way.

So, tell me about your trip to…

*The above picture is from my cousin’s “hytte-homestead” overlooking mountains, valley’s and on a clear day, the North Sea. It’s a cozy little spot for gathering around a fire pit on a cool day. It’s a perfect place to cook a famous Norwegian polse/hotdog or relax and read a book.