The real us vs. the online us

Wouldn’t it be fantastic if we could live our social media life all the time?

I mean we post beautiful and happy pictures of ourselves, our family and our friends. We post our smiles and celebrations. We post pictures of oceans, mountains, sunrises, sunsets, boats and our favorite vacation spots. We post pictures of our delicious meals at home or in restaurants and sometimes include our frosty beverage or share the bottle of wine we just ordered. We love to post pictures of our children and grandchildren, our dogs, our cats, horses, turtles and any other pet we own. I don’t know about you, but I want to live in that world of love, happiness and beauty all of the time.

ere are some folks out there who prefer to post negative thoughts. ey go on toxic rants and, well, just post some not-sonice things. e good news is that we can choose to unfriend them or mute them for a while. ere is just too much goodness in the world that we don’t need to get mired in the yuck and muck of life.

What would it look like for us to be more consistent, the same yesterday, today and tomorrow? What would it look like for us to be so consistent in our actions, thoughts, words and posts? What would it look like and feel like if we were the same happy, cheerful, thoughtful, fun and loving person that people see on social media?

I guess the hard question we must ask ourselves is this, “Why am I not the same person that I want others to see in me?” What is driving my inconsistency? Am I faking it? Am I faking it just so others don’t see the real me or the other side of me? Or that they won’t see the di culties in my life or my moments of being fragile?

ere is that joke about a police o cer pulling over a car. ere was a woman showing animated signs of being angry and upset, waving her arms around, screaming and demonstrating all kinds of road rage. When the o cer pulled her over, she asked why she was being pulled over. e o cer replied that he thought the car may have been stolen. Confused, the woman asked why. e o cer said because he saw the Jesus bumper sticker and

Winning

the sh emblem on the back of the car and then saw the anger and road rage going on so he simply assumed that the car must have been stolen.

How many times have we argued with our spouse or children and then when a friend shows up, we put on our best smile, happy face, and kindest appearance? We have all done it and have done it more times than we care to remember. We have all done it, and all the while knowing we were faking it or being disingenuous.

What if our good, kind, cheerful, thoughtful, fun and loving social media self became our everyday self? It would be wonderful, wouldn’t it? However, we know that life happens, and yes there is the muck and yuck of life that happens. We have seasons that are more difcult than others and most of the time, that is when we look for quiet solitude and when we allow our emotions to be expressed. It’s OK to feel hurt, angry and upset when necessary, its natural. I am talking more about the everyday attitude we walk around with most of the time.

We have been so blessed, there is no reason to walk around looking like the picture on our driver’s license. Or like we have been weaned on a pickle. In our most di cult days, we have to channel our better self, showing up with grace regardless of the circumstance.

Do you share the bright, happy, cheerful, and loving moments of your life on social media? Would it be fantastic if most of our days we showed up to life like that? I would love to hear your story at gotonorton@gmail.com, and when we can work toward consistency whether we are on social media or not, it really will be a better than good life.

Michael Norton is an author, a personal and professional coach, consultant, trainer, encourager and motivator of individuals and businesses, working with organizations and associations across multiple industries.

Zahorik

Katherine B. Zahorik

November 25, 1935 - August, 1, 2023 rough the many moves required by Donald’s work, she never forgot her Wisconsin roots and family, but cherished the relationships created and fostered during her 50+ years in Colorado.

Kathie Zahorik, a beacon of love, wisdom, and strength, peacefully passed on August 1, 2023, at the age of 87. She leaves behind a profound legacy of family, community service, and professional accomplishments that will be etched in the hearts of those who knew her. Born on November 25, 1935, to Casimir and Clara Blonski, Kathie radiated warmth and kindness. Growing up in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, her compassionate nature and dedication to family would be the hallmarks of her life.

While studying physical therapy, she met the love of her life, Donald Zahorik, at Marquette University. eir rst date was a movie, “Around the World in 80 Days” which would introduce their shared passion for travel. ey shared a deep connection and, on September 27, 1958, they exchanged vows and embarked on a journey of devotion and mutual support.

As a mother, Kathie was a pillar of strength and unwavering commitment to her six children Pamela (Elton), Steve (Lynn), Scott (Paige), Mike (Jiawen), Mark (Kimberly), and Matthew (Amy). Kathie’s love extended beyond her immediate children to include her sixteen grandchildren Kadyn, Abigail, Zachary, Lucas, Claire, Kathryn, Madison, Joseph, Gri n, Casey, Jacob, Victoria, Colton, Parker, Nicole, Sydney, and great- grandchild, Tate (ALL of whom she proudly claimed and actively advocated as “pure geniuses”). She embraced each with open arms and reveled in the joy of being surrounded by family (all while feeding us with endless Qdoba!) Kathie’s passion for education led her to serve as President of the Douglas County School Board. In this role, she worked tirelessly to improve the educational landscape and enrich the lives of countless students and educators. As a Realtor, her dedication to excellence brought her national acclaim as she was routinely recognized as a top-tier performer in the industry.

Beyond her professional accomplishments, Kathie was known for her commitment to her Catholic faith and dedication to its services.

Kathie’s legacy of love, compassion, and leadership will live on through her family, friends, and all those she has in uenced. Her memory will serve as a guiding light for those who knew her and loved her.

Kathie was preceded in death by Donald on May 14, 2004.

In lieu of owers, you may make a donation in honor of Kathie Zahorik to St Francis of Assisi church, Castle Rock Colorado https:// www.stfranciscr.org/donate-now or e Bird Conservancy of the Rockies, https://www. birdconservancy.org/ earning about history is more fun when you experience it. at’s why the metro area has a wide range of places to experience Colorado’s history rsthand. Museums, tourist attractions and more provide venues for adults and children to get hands-on learning about Colorado history from the Jurrasic age to the 1900s.

Kathie’s Celebration of Life will be held at 10am on December 27th at St. Francis of Assisi Church in Castle Rock.

From dinosaurs to mining and railroad history to early home and school life — the metro area has plenty of locations where families can have fun and learn a bit in the process.

Living history museums enable visitors to experience the everyday home life of ordinary people who toiled on Colorado’s farms, ranches, factories, mines, smelters and more, according to Kevin Rucker, a senior lecturer in MSU Denver’s history department.

For example, “visitors are able to visualize and empathize with what it took for women to take care of a household and raise families,” he said.

Rucker pointed to the Four-Mile House, Golden Prospect Park, Littleton Heritage Museum, Black Western History Museum, Molly Brown House as a starting point for all of the living history locations in the area. Colorado Community Media takes a look at some of the places in the metro area that provide hands-on history.

Who doesn’t love dinosaurs?

Morrison is home to two spots where families can learn about dinosaurs — Dinosaur Ridge and the Morrison Natural History Museum.

logic and paleontological features. Visitors can check out the area themselves or with volunteers and geologists to learn about the dinosaurs that roamed the area. ere’s a museum and gift shop at C-470 and Alameda Parkway, and Dinosaur Ridge has Dinosaur Days throughout the year.

Close by is the Morrison Natural History Museum on Highway 8 just south of downtown Morrison, where families can learn more about dinosaurs. e museum is also a research center, so in addition to visiting the museum, people can take archeological trips.

Stegosaurus Day is always fun for kids as they try their hands at peeling away rocks to nd fossils.

Gold rush

Clear Creek County has several locations to learn more about Colorado’s mining history. At the Phoenix Gold Mine southwest of Idaho Springs, history comes alive as visitors go underground in a gold mine, pan for gold to try to strike it rich themselves and more.

Mine owner Dave Mosch, whose family has lived in Colorado since the 1860s, called the Phoenix Gold Mine fascinating for those who haven’t seen up close what mining was like, especially in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. He noted that the mining-support industry also brought people to Colorado — building houses, operating shops and providing personal aspects of life to miners.

“Colorado is a beautiful place, but what originally brought people here was the gold,” Mosch said. “ e more you understand mining, the more you understand the growth of our state.”

He and all of Clear Creek County are proud that the Colorado gold rush began in 1859 in the county.

Trains and more trains e founder of the Colorado Railroad Museum understood how big the railroads were to settling Colorado.

“Bob Richardson (the founder of the museum) realized that people needed to know how it all got started, how people traveled to Colorado and how hard it was,” Roni Kramer, director of education for the Colorado Railroad Museum in Golden, explained. “It is important to see every aspect of people’s beginnings and how they got here on the train. Honestly, it’s such an interesting story.”

While adults may be more interested in historical tidbits, children have the opportunity to check out all areas of di erent train cars. ey ring bells, move through

SEE HISTORY, P15

Dinosaur Ridge has interpretive signs along two miles of trails that explain the local geology, fossils, and many other geo- Halloween fun at the Colorado Railroad Museum includes a zombie train ride.