LeT tHe ReCoRd Be sTrAiGhT

No I don't hate you, and I swear I'm not turning all granola-ey (I'm not sure I could live very long in a house with no running water, electricity and forced to kill my own food). Toward the end of May, I finally made a decision that I'd been thinking about for quite awhile: No More Facebook. Similar to blogging, I really struggled withe the "change with the times" mentality and it's ability to help you communicate and keep in touch versus way too much time in virtual la-la land.

It's cool that, courtesy of Facebook (formerly known as the Facebook) I'm now back in touch with the boys I played He-Man with in kindergarten (I was the only girl in the neighborhood), the people from high school that I'd always wondered, "What ever happened to so-and-so?", tons of mission buddies around the world, college friends that are now on to bigger and better things, and a forum to share a quick "thinking of you" or "here's something to make you laugh" with the people I'm close with. I even found a bit of evil satisfaction when people who never really spoke to me (were sometimes even really rude to me) tried to add me on Facebook--and even better when I discover they'd gained tons of weight and totally peaked looks-wise early in life (I'm hoping I haven't).

With that all being said, I really analyzed my personality. Why do I have a hard time with it? Who cares, If you want to be on it less, just be on it less! Well, what I acknowledged is that I don't work that way (they say it's a pisces thing.) I'm a cultivator. I may be crap at tending the garden in my backyard, but I definitely take to heart what Ralph Waldo Emerson said on friendship, "go oft to the house of thy friend, for weeds choke the unused path." And so while there are many good (keep in touch, share the gospel, rally cries) and bad (cyber bullying, gossip) reasons for the existence of Facebook that's its purpose for me. I really try to be a good friend, stay on top of everyone's lives and feel a connectedness to them regardless of distance.

However, in a world where all paths are open to me, I found that I was spending way too much time constantly looking left, right, behind.. basically any direction but directly forward on the paths of importance now. I want to make good friends here, I want to figure out the next step in my career, in general I'd like to accelerate progress and move ahead. So I took a breather; I only meant my Facebook fast to be for a month (just like my blog) but found I actually really enjoy it.

Sure, I miss the Facebook party 411s, loads of photos from fantastic adventures and pithy updates. But, at least for now... I'm okay without it. I find it incredibly liberating. I find I'm on the internet 1/8 the amount of time, I reach out to more people in my area, and I have less excuse to keep from moving forward (but I have no idea what to do with my photos!) Now, I'm not saying I'll have the blinders on indefinitely (I do miss being in touch with lovely people), just in the near future. I dare you to try it, just for a week or two, and see what difference it makes...or are you too addicted to the crackbook? :)