NdukuOutLoud

What do you mean I have to get out there to meet somebody?

With all this technology, all the advances-you still can’t bring them to my doorstep? We’ve got apps that can deliver food, groceries, and even relationships(allegedly). But when it comes to connection, suddenly I’m supposed to go “out there”? What happened to progress?

And it’s unfair. You keep changing the rules on how ‘out there’ works.

I used to think it meant being open to the world-parks, walks in nature, chilling under a moonlit sky. My kind of “out there.” But now? We don’t talk to strangers. And we’re also supposed to be ladylike and wait to be hunted. Equal rights didn’t get here yet.

Okay, so that’s not the ‘out there’ you mean. It gets better.

Now I’ve got to create social media accounts. Post pictures of myself. Share my life. Sounds simple, right? Except I don’t like photos. I don’t like curating myself.  And the ten friends I’ve managed to gather on those platforms? They already know me. Not sure what posting to them is supposed to achieve.

And honestly I can’t keep up

Every time I think I’ve figured out the rules, they change. There’s a new app. A new trend. A new way to be seen. And if you’re not seen, you’re not relevant. There’s no room for people who like to keep to themselves. No space for quiet joy. Just to be visible. To perform.

And don’t even get me started on the professional out there.

Finding work is no longer just showing up, doing your best and letting your skills speak. Its resumes designed like Instagram grids, LinkedIn posts that sound like TED talks, and networking that feels more like speed dating. Im supposed to brand myself, market myself, and then pitch myself. And if I don’t play, im invisible. It’s not just about being qualified anymore; it’s about being loud, shiny and constantly online.

Maybe it’s just me. But hopefully it’s not.

Feeling like the world’s moving too fast, and the rules don’t make sense anymore. Hopefully someone else is feeling like connection shouldn’t be this complicated. Constantly edited.

Change or be Phased out

The scary part. It’s not just about adapting. It’s survival. If you dont play the game, you disappear. And I’m just getting my head around all these things. I worry that by the time I catch up, there’ll be something else altogether.  Something newer. More exhausting.

But there’s also joy in discovering new  stuff.

Even if everyone else already did- it’s new to me. And that counts. Make a point to enjoy. To learn it. Take my time. Because the point isn’t to keep up. The point is to show up-fully, honestly, in our own way.

So no more catching up.

Just enjoying. Learning. Being.

And who needs all those apps anyway?