Lent, for me, is a time of preparation for Easter. So, I decided a couple weeks prior to Ash Wednesday that giving up FaceBook would be very beneficial for me. I decided this one day when I was in the middle of a project for someone and thought I'd sit and look at FaceBook a minute before getting to the project. One hour later.......ONE HOUR LATER..... I had truly spent one hour on social media looking at political rants and other posts that didn't need my attention.
Don't get me wrong, I love FaceBook. I love posting pictures of things and people and places. I love posting comments about silly things and more important, I love keeping up with friends and family. I love reading posts about adventures and children and life happenings. I love my on-line prayer group and other groups I belong to. But I just needed some time away. I wanted to spend the time focusing on things that are truly important to me. And I did!
I have learned in my, well, ever how many years on this earth, that anything we do should be done within reason. Use your common sense and don't let things get out of control. I know that sounds easy and I also know that it isn't always easy. People can become addicted to many things: alcohol, drugs, food, t.v., and just a multitude of other things. So used within reason, I have decided that FaceBook is not a bad thing.
I did miss some things while being away from FB. I missed knowing about the death of several (more than one) people. I was terribly sad about that. I didn't know they had died until much time later. I missed being able to read some articles my talented daughter had written. I have since subscribed to the publications online so I get them via email now. I missed seeing pictures of babies that had just been born. I missed those delicious recipes my friends were sharing. I missed seeing important events shared by out of town family. Sorry if I missed your birthday or anniversary or other special event. Oh, and I did miss a lot of birthdays locally too. Sorry about that. I'll catch you next year. I missed the beautiful pictures my cousin always posts. I missed the requests for prayer from specific individuals. Fortunately, I did get requests through private texts and messenger. I missed the funny memes that always make me laugh. Episcopal friends, check out those Episcopal memes....hilarious.
Then came the quarantine. Boy, did I really miss stuff. I missed the whole toilet paper thing. What was that about???? Church services that were posted through FB. Notifications about events happening. School messages from coworkers. Who knows what all I missed. I missed being able to post needs on FB. Like the fact that my church needs donations of food or money for the food pantry. Or asking for help in locating people in need during this crazy time. Or asking if anybody has any elastic!!!! I need some, by the way. So I did miss some stuff.
There are also things I did NOT miss. Political rants being at the top of that list. Lighten up, folks. I, too, have my opinions but I just can't bash people on FB for their beliefs. Bashing people on FB is not going to change their mind. Posting ridiculous satirical stuff needs to stop. It just makes people look stupid and it just gets people riled up. And doing it in the name of Christianity is the worst. I've heard from several people that the posts and comments since the virus hit have been almost comical. That one group or the other started the virus for one reason or another...Really??? You believe that. Check the facts. And speaking of checking the facts, one thing I did not miss at allllllll was someone posting something that was totally ridiculous or untrue that they believed without checking the source and the validity of it. Don't just post stuff because your first cousin's wife's mother's brother's uncle's dog's owner said it was true.....CHECK THE FACTS.
I did learn a couple things:
One, FB, used appropriately, can be a great thing. I love pictures and recipes and seeing people check in places. I love my prayer group and my church posts and hearing from family far away. And I like posting pictures and quotes and recipes and ideas and requests.
Two, when something or someone causes your blood pressure to rise, step away from it. And that is what I am going to do. Step away from things that are not positive to my being. Most of FB IS positive for me but the things that are not will go.
So to sum up my 40+ days in the wilderness of no FaceBook, I did and did not miss a lot. But I am so glad I stepped back and didn't give in. But be prepared for picture overload coming soon.
Stay safe, stay home and stay connected to the things that are positive.
