Communication,  Greenfield Village and Henry Ford Musuem,  Health & wellbeing,  relationships

Boundaries

“We live in a time when people have unprecedented access to us. Bosses and coworkers expect you to read emails and DMs late at night, friends and family go into long rants over the phone or texts and expect instant feedback. Sometimes we have to say, ‘I don’t have the capacity to hold you right now because I’m trying to hold myself.'” ~Melanie Santos

Stone walls, fences, and guard rails define our limits and announce our boundaries. They protect our property or keep us from falling over the edge. Along these lines, emotional boundaries helps us guard our time and privacy.

While the internet serves as an invaluable communication tool, it also makes us more accessible than ever before. Every once in a while we need to ask: How much information is appropriate to share with virtual strangers? How “available” do I need to be?

Boundaries uphold our dignity and give us the right to say no. Boundaries show others how we want to be treated. And if we expect others to respect our boundaries, it follows that we should respect theirs, too. ~CL

Throughout my career, I've worked as a book production editor, travel magazine editor, features writer, and weekly newspaper columnist. My award-winning lifestyles features and essays have appeared in many national magazines and anthologies, including Newsweek, Reader's Digest, The Christian Science Monitor, Writer's Digest, Victoria, Better Homes & Gardens, Bella Grace, and more. My weekly Sunday "Life Lines" column ran for 14 years in The Daily Tribune (Royal Oak, MI) and won a First Place (Local Columns) award from the Michigan Press Association. My essay collection, Writing Home, includes 93 previously published columns and essays focusing on parenthood and family life.

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