As a seasoned camp counselor, freshman orientation leader, and youth group leader, I love a good icebreaker! For those who may not know, an icebreaker is a thought-provoking question of the night to get the conversation flowing. It’s a skill that has been woven into my being to help set the stage for deeper connections to form. Can you tell that one of my favorite games is “We’re Not Really Strangers”? An example of one of these icebreakers is called R.E.P.O.R.T It stands for: Reading, Eating, Playing, Obsessing, Recommending, Treating. To get a good idea of what a R.E.P.O.R.T. would look like, here’s my example:
R.E.P.O.R.T.
Reading: “The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry” by John Mark Comer
Eating: Barrington Benedict from Egg Harbor Cafe
Playing: Animal Crossing: New Horizons
Obsessing: My Pinterest board for my future apartment!
Recommending: Hot girl winter walks. Get cozy in a big scarf and sweater and get going!
Treating: A hot chocolate from Starbucks with a pump of vanilla, for my hot girl winter walk.
In my R.E.P.O.R.T., you may have noticed that I included an Amazon link, the name of a popular social media app, a big-name coffee company, and a current favorite buzzword for going on walks. Maybe if I hadn’t name-dropped specific brand names or used current popular lingo, my R.E.P.O.R.T. would look less appealing or less relatable. In this age of posting Day In My Life (DIML) content consisting of the best pictures of even the most mundane parts of our day, casual Instagramming where many put in effort to look effortless and the societal need to consume the newest media as soon as possible: there is an increased pressure to be living like a highlight reel.Â
I don’t mean to be critical or judgemental of trends like DIML or R.E.P.O.R.T., because I also participate in all of the fun. However, I believe that there is a better, more positive way to spin these fads: gratitude! (Cue collective groans and sighs in the background).Â
Stating gratitude as a method to cure madness is as cliche as it gets, but it’s true in every possible way. When I look back on my R.E.P.O.R.T with gratitude, I think of how lucky I am to be able to access books or own a Nintendo Lite to enjoy fun games. I think of how lucky I am to be living in an area with well-kept sidewalks and being able to purchase $5-$7 drinks weekly. Even having the time or ability to document these bits of our day on social media is a privilege.
My journey through icebreakers like rose/bud/thorn, highs and lows, what land/air/sea animal you are, and now my R.E.P.O.R.T. have given way for me to learn more about myself and others. But as I grow older, I want to be able to share my life in the most authentic ways possible and weave methods of gratitude into my daily routine beyond an Instagram post. The acknowledgment of class, privilege and identity could be an article of their own, but they truly factor in how we want to present ourselves to the world.Â
It isn’t nearly as exciting to share the tragedies or boring moments in our life and by no means am I calling for social media to veer that way, but I hope that as you continue to share moments in your life on social media, you are able to do so with gratitude.