Tuesday, February 5, 2013

Facebook fast

So, one day my husband and I were talking about how much of a time suck that Facebook is and how pointless as well as a good waste of time it is.  We noticed we were both mindlessly getting onto FB on our phones whenever there was a free moment or down time.  We weren't living in the moment and I noticed I would get irritated if someone interrupted me while I was perusing it.  So we decided to take a break from FB as soon as I got back from my trip to WA.  I started by just getting rid of it on my phone but decided to go big time and suspend my account, and you know what it feels amazing!  What I started to notice was the immense amount of negativity that FB inspired and how lots of people would use it to try to get at others.  By that I mean saying, no lets call it what it is, you aren't saying a darn thing you are TYPING it.  That's the other thing I noticed in conversation I would say "Well, she said...." or "We were talking the other day..." and you know what?  "She" neither said nor were "we talking", it was all words typed into cyberspace for the other person to READ! 

The other thing is misunderstanding and misinterpretation or reading between the lines literally that happens when conducting relationships electronically.  I know of mulitiple friendships that have been hurt or affected by electronic relationships!  My sister informed me of at least 3 friendships she knew had been lost over just FB.

Something else I that I think happens is the perpetuation and continuance of relationships that just wouldn't make it in the real world.  By that I mean the flesh and blood having a conversation real world.  Some friendships may seem more real or important than they really are through FB, when in reality you would never ever be friends with, hang out with, go to lunch with, or say watch these peoples children, or pets or house.  The only reason you have them as 'friends' is because FB tells you they are your friend.  Ha!  Hardly.  If anything FB taught me many valuable life lessons on who is really a friend.  Want to know my simple outlook on that?  If they continue to seek you out and do things with you once you quit FB...yep then they are a friend.  If you no longer hear from them, they weren't your friend.  And, by hear from them I mean through email (being generous here), a phone call, or say...novel idea here...a hand written letter,  If you get none of these in return you know 'they just aren't that much of a friend for you'. 

Shortly after I quit FB I went on a texting (ha the dictionary doesn't even recognize that word, texting! what does that tell you?) fast.  I went from receiving over 100+ texts some days or more to astronomically less.  I'll have to check our bill to see what difference there truly was.  However, I noticed I would stop almost anything to answer a text or see what was going on on my phone.  Another time suck.  Another fake perpetuation of friendship.  Pathetic really!  So, I decided to stop something NOW before it became a much larger problem potentially affecting real relationships (flesh and blood ones that is) in my life.  I'm sure people were confused by my choice to distance myself through texting after I just quit FB.  But you know what?  It was liberating.  No longer would my phone buzz, beep, and ding uncontrollably with things that you know what?  Just weren't that important.  You know why I say that?  If it's really important I would call someone or someone would CALL me. 

On a side note I woke up this morning in a bit of a nervous mess, I was dreaming about being at the hospital and getting ready for the tummy tuck.  I had just gotten my IV in my right hip and they had me laying on my stomach on a stretcher waiting to go in for surgery.  I don't remember why I was upset or nervous but I had a heck of a time going back to sleep. 

Well, I ventured out for lunch today to my one and only standby Panera, this one horse town just doesn't have many healthy options.  However after getting out and getting food thinking I was 100% recovered I quickly found out, maybe not.  SO, I'm going to load up run to 'the devil store' a.k.a. Wal-Mart and then head home to rest.  Jason keeps telling me to take it easy, something I am learning I DO NOT DO WELL!

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