I like social media because it allows me to broaden my daily experience, even if only digitally. I’m what is deemed a “lurker.” I have Twitter and Instagram (I hate Facebook), but my usernames are my secret. I refresh my feed about once a minute, though.

The other day I looked up a girl who was in my ballet class…20 years ago. I found her blog first, which led me to her Instagram, which led me to a “throwback Thursday” photo of her. And me. Twenty years ago.

You just don’t expect that, you know? To check an Instagram feed of someone you knew two decades ago and see a picture of yourself as a teenager. She didn’t include my name in the caption, just a reference to the ridiculous outfits we wore (sequins and suspenders…the ‘90s). A white streak of glare ran across the image, suggesting she’d snapped a picture of a print.

This girl comes to mind every time I do sit-ups. Even at 14, she had a six-pack. One evening after a conditioning class in which no one could complete all the sit-ups but her, I asked, “Don’t all those sit-ups hurt?” Her reply, I think verbatim: “Yes, they hurt like hell. But when you’re done, you’ve done it and it pays off.”

I remember that when my stomach muscles cramp and I want to quit. And now, I’ll also think of how weird the Internet is.