Wednesday, February 12, 2014

Who Needs Facebook Anyway?


Apparently me.

I knew I was sinking way too much time into an online social networking site but I truly underestimated the impact that leaving Facebook would have on my psyche. The moment I deactivated my account, it honestly felt like I no longer existed. Disturbing thought, eh?

You see, I used to blog here all the time and had a decent following. I enjoyed the camaraderie of fellow bloggers and even developed new friendships in what I found to be a fairly tight knit community of folks that enjoy writing as much as I do. But life got the best of me and I slowly disengaged from the process of recording my thoughts as I was sucked into the world of instant gratification. Why post on a blog that few, if any, people will read when I can wax poetic on a status update and receive instant feedback and quips about my clever wit or amazing parenting skills?

Well, it's simple. On Facebook, I was able to paint a portrait of who I was without having to include a lot of the not-so-pretty stuff about my life. Sure a blog can serve the same purpose but, for some reason, I feel less compelled to make it "pretty" on here. And believe you me, life isn't all that pretty for me right now. I also found myself never able to put my phone down for fear of missing a message, not knowing the lunch choices of my friends or, God forbid, not finding out what character I would be on Downton Abbey and why. (By the way, I was Mrs. Hughes which is kinda cool except WHEN will she and the head butler Carson ever expose their feelings for one another?!)  I digress.

How much will I delve into the struggles I'm experiencing right now in a public forum? I'm not sure. But what I can say is I'm going to be on here every day. And I'm going to be real. And even if no one but me is reading this...well, that's ok, too. I will continue to write because that's what I do.

As for Facebook. I won't pretend that I'm not having big-time withdrawals. A major winter storm is impacting Atlanta right now and I would love to see pics posted by friends, updates, conversations about snow totals, etc. But I continue in my self-imposed darkness because it's what I need to do.

So if by chance you're reading this, my apologies for one of the most boring blog posts ever. But you know what? I'm pretty boring sometimes. And someday I'll realize there's nothing wrong with that. :)

1 comment:

Melissa said...

I think you have done what many want to do, know they should do, and yet, can't seem to muster up the courage to do. Or maybe it's just me. :)

I am SO with you! I desperately want to start blogging again, but find that, when the kids are asleep, the last thing I want to do is sit down at the computer and type out how I feel, because every word I type is going to communicate that I am tired, and overwhelmed, and unhappy...which isn't entirely true, but at 10:00 at night, what can you expect? :)

In December, one of my favorite sewing blogs hosts a "forecast of the future" series, and invites famous modern quilters to add their take on what they see in the future. The one that really stuck in my craw was this one by Pat Sloan: http://www.sewmamasew.com/?s=pat+sloan
She's a whole Georgia Dome of wisdom and inspiration, and what she wrote about Facebook and Instagram vs blogging is sooooo spot on. So spot on.

I want to get back to blogging because of a lot of things, but mostly it's because I miss sharing deeply with my friends.

So while I will miss waving at you from across the street, I look forward to sitting here with you as we enjoy a cup of tea together. :)