This post is not really about my weight loss journey... like, at all... but it is part of the Lost Cause journey and I have been composing this over the last several days and can't get it out of my head, which is why I felt the need to bite the bullet and just write it. I am sure I will upset some people with this post, and honestly, I don't care. A negative reaction is more than the passive reaction I am currently receiving.
Sometime in January I got so upset with one of my Facebook friends that I decided to take a break from Facebook for a bit... A couple of days or so... But as the couple of days progressed I started realizing that maybe it was more than this friend causing the break from Facebook. I would spend all day long checking my account looking for the newest and latest with everyone and posting about the newest and latest in my life. Going through my feed and pushing the like button a million times....
The like button.... Such an easy button to push... So and so is pregnant... 'like' Hey, he just went for a walk... 'like' Just bought a new car... 'like'
Like, like, like...
I just got tired of trying to come up with something that would incite a conversation! Like, words people... Heard of them?
So as the days slipped by from my temporary break and I started realizing how much of my time was being taken up by the 'like' fest... I started thinking about this break being a little bit longer.. Within a week or so, I made the decision that I was not getting back on to Facebook until after Lent. I didn't really realize that Easter was not until late April and that I was going to be off of Facebook for over 3 months... By the time I figured out that the Lenten season was no where near where I was... I was more than happy to stay off...
I went to an amazing conference for Airbrush Gypsy where I took a ton of balloon and magician classes. I started practicing henna a lot more. I have practiced my magic act. I have played with balloon sculpting and decor. I have practiced face paint. (Wow, this break from Facebook has been a serious boon for my value to Airbrush Gypsy!!!)
Unfortunately, I have not spent my new free time exercising and continuing my health journey as shortly after I made this decision, I fell and seriously injured my foot. I am facing a very long road to recovery, but that is another story.
My personal and family life have fallen apart in the last couple of months and not being on Facebook has allowed me more time to deal with those issues. You might be thinking that I could have used some support from Facebook during my difficult times. Actually, the amount of support I have ever received from Facebook has been lacking at best. I don't know if it is the quality of people that I have as friends, or what... But generally speaking, when I post looking for whatever variety of support, I know before hand who (generally a single response, or maybe 2 responses) is going to respond and very, very rarely am I wrong.
Speaking of support during difficult times, reminds me of the other social network that I belong to, although my presence has been as lacking from there as it has been from Facebook. The other network being something that my regular readers will be very familiar with... Lose It. For those who are not "Losers", there is no like button on Lose It. If you want to tell someone that they did a great job working out.... You say exactly that. There is no passive socialization going on!!! And when I ask for support on Lose It, it comes in abundance. I am continually amazed that these strangers that I have never met are more interested in my life than people who I see or talk to or have met.
Easter was Sunday (obviously...) so I wished everyone a Happy Easter, my first post in over 3 months... Received several likes. Scrolled through my news feed and saw so many Happy Easter messages, clicked that like button too. So easy to fall back into old habits... I quickly caught myself and since Monday, I try not to just click the like button but to post a comment. Trying to start a conversation, fairly unsuccessfully.
I have posted several times in the last couple of days and received several likes... Not so many comments.... I realize that it has only been a couple of days... But seriously people... The only people that commented on my posts are the same people that were in contact with me during my hiatus... Because, *gasp* there are messengers and emails and phones and in person visits..... A real social life? Like, really!?!?!?!?!
So what have I learned over the last several months? The probably Facebook is going to remain a lost portion of my life. It certainly is not adding anything to my life. It certainly is not taking anything away, except time and that is so precious and needed elsewhere...
Thanks for reading my (not so passive) aggressive rant about Facebook... Certainly not expecting the world to stop using Facebook, but give a thought to checking your newsfeed just one less time today... See if you can find the time to take a walk, pick up the phone and call an old friend, or start learning magic... [ok, not really on the magic... Leave that one to me! :-) ]
