Why Being a Meme Queen Is Lame and a Royal Waste of Time

Let's use our time to connect authentically.

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I'm the Queen of the Meme.

I don't make original memes, rather, I share other creators' work. When I find something that speaks to me, I put it in my Instagram story. The memes I choose are either hilarious (to me) or too on the nose not to be shared.

Many are about my plant obsession.

Well, this one hits close to home. My husband recently carried a heavy planter down a flight of stairs for me, and we were both worried he might fall. Don’t worry, he didn’t.

Sometimes, I get a heart or comment back on a post. Occasionally, I hit pay dirt and get beaucoup hearts and comments. Social media props feel like a real connection.

I know it’s not.

Why am I satisfied with such trifling interactions? My meme infatuation is a waste of everyone's time.

Funny or no? Tell me in the comments.

Still, I yearn for a dopamine hit while also keeping my distance. It's safer to communicate through third parties much like alcohol buffers social anxiety.

But I gave up drinking 4-1/2 years ago, so meme madness it is.

Do you use others’ words to say what you really mean, too?

When did you last buy a card to commemorate a birthday, anniversary, or graduation? Hallmark creators do not have the inside track for crafting a perfect sentiment. Crikey, they don’t even know us.

After we dig deep into our wallets to buy a a piece of cardstock, we sign our names, and maybe add a couple of stale phrases.

Speaking of which, have you seen what people write on Facebook timelines?

Happy Birthday 🥳 🎂 🎉

I think I wrote that very line today. It’s no better or worse than what anyone else wrote.

Are we that emotionally constipated?

We want to be seen, but not too much, so we use someone else's words or the same trite phrases. We can’t write from our hearts, because we either lost touch with ourselves or are fearful what we convey will reveal too much.

Yet, our words are so powerful. Think of a person who said something that you never forgot. A well-placed word can transform someone’s life or ruin it. Yet we don’t use our very best ones to bolster the people we love the most.

Our word choices reveal who we are. Keeping them to ourselves is selfish.

How else are we going to get to know YOU?

We're not robots. We’re beautiful unique lovable humans. What we say matters to loved ones and people in our circles.

Where should we start?

Let’s stop buying those $7 cards and create something that come from the heart.

My husband encouraged me to make my own cards, as he's been doing it for years. I've used Canva for a while and now make birthday, wedding, and graduation cards.

Last week, I branched out and made a sympathy card.

My friend's husband passed away. She lives a few hours away in another state, and I didn't attend the service.

I've known my friend and her hubby for 35 years. Her husband nicknamed me Corkster, and I called him Mr. Bart.

I wanted to express my deep sadness and offer support.

A sympathy card from CVS wouldn't cut it.

I went where no woman has gone before and made a card using Canva. I put photos of them together and solo shots. I stalked their Facebook pages and found pictures to insert into the card.

I also wrote a tribute to him and what he meant to me.

Made by Author with Canva

I couldn't be physically present for my widowed friend. What I can do is memorialize her husband through my words.

It felt risky making a homemade sympathy card, but the sentiment surpassed any I could have purchased. The mail has yet to deliver it, so we'll see how it lands with my friend.

Speaking of creating cards, do you remember the lady I told you about a couple of weeks ago who hurt herself and couldn't attend my Greek ladies' retreat? You can read it here.

For those who remember, my friend admitted that the mere thought of doing creative activities made her break out in a cold sweat.

Since her recuperation, she sent me a Thank You card that she made herself! I hadn’t anticipated this level of transformation from someone who didn't come to the retreat, but it happened without my help. Here is her card:

Front of card photo of the Acropolis from my friend’s hospital room edited with Shutterfly.

Inside she wrote a personal note including the Greek word for Thank You to express her thanks for all of her blessings since her accident. I am bowled over.

So many sweet blessings from that retreat!

Speaking of sweet, I recently met

Mary Ann Rollano

on Substack. She writes about teas, and other interesting topics, on her publication

Steeped Stories

. I made a strawberry tea recipe and learned how to make cold brew iced tea. I found this great post about the sweet secrets of Greek honey. Click here to learn them.

If you read my story about rose honey from last year, you know I’m obsessed with Greek honey. I’m happy Mary Ann is, too. As it turns out, she lives one town away from me here in New Jersey. Crazy, right?