It matters if you show up. My husband and I were lucky enough to be able to attend a wedding this past weekend. We’ve known the bride for over a decade since she first showed up on our doorstep, welcoming us to the neighborhood and telling us she loved kids and loved to babysit. (As parents of young kids, this was very welcome news.) That ring on the doorbell started a relationship that has grown and shifted over the years. I now consider her as much a friend as a bonus daughter. While there is so much that is memorable over the last weekend, one theme that was consistent was this: it matters if you show up.
In an age with “connectivity” at our fingertips, it’s easy to feel a false sense of connectedness. COVID and the expansion of virtual meetups have made it easier than ever to be included in events near or far. I often wonder, though, in the age of connection and jam-packed schedules, if we’ve lost sight of the simple fact that it matters if you show up. Have we become too content as a society to think that a “like” or nice comment on a social media post is the same as being present in real life? I know it’s not always possible to be present in person. All sorts of factors come into play, but the truth is, it matters if you show up.
I am not advocating that we prioritize showing up at the expense of sleep and other needed healthy boundaries. I know I already often feel like I am maxed out without any margin for additional commitments.
So, if I want to be the person who shows up, then I need to spend my time in a way that prioritizes that. I don’t know the magic fix to adding more time to my day, but I do know I need my values to reflect what I know to be true: it matters if you show up. When someday I leave this earth, I hope that those who remember me will say I lived my life in a way that clearly reflected the belief that it matters if you show up.
