Well ya’ll, it has been a few months since I wrote a blog
post. At first, I was just too busy with all of the holiday hoopla going on.
And then when I realized I hadn't written anything in a while, I kind of
panicked (because my millions of readers would be wondering what had happened
to me, haha)….and I tried…and tried…and tried to bang something out, but
nothing would come. In fact, it’s like I have been bound up for months in all
areas of communication….and if you know me, you know this isn't me. Anyway, I
finally just gave up and quit worrying about it. But good ole’ social media
sparked some inspiration a few days ago.
I am not a huge lover of social media. I think it has its
selling points as well as its flaws. I don’t look down on anyone else for
loving it and using the hell out of it, I have just never been really
enthusiastic about it. I use it now, for my little business, more than I ever
have before. I am more of a Facebook creeper
than participator. Although I do enjoy
the occasional convo with a long lost pal or friends/family that have moved far
away.
With that said….I was scrolling through my feed the other
day, and I saw a few of these “movies” that Facebook is making out of your
pictures. Let me tell you now that I have about six pictures uploaded to my
Facebook page, therefore I did not have a movie. Anyway…I noticed a few of
these movies and went on about my business. Later, I scrolled through again, and
saw some more. It was at this point that I had this….almost urgency overcome me….the
absurd thought actually popped into my head that I somehow needed to “get on
the ball”….how had I failed so as a mother that I had not documented every
single milestone of my children’s lives on social media????
Seriously…I’m not poking fun or looking down on anyone that
DOES post tons of pictures on Facebook…I enjoy looking at all the pictures that
my friends post of their families, etc. But it just struck me as such a
negative thing that I felt so bad about myself for not having done the same. Do
memories exist only if we document them on Instagram or Facebook? Does everyone
think I’m a terrible mother that never does anything with my kids because I don’t
have any “evidence” of it plastered all over the Internet?
The point I’m trying to make here is how easy it is to get
sucked into a vortex of comparison. I have read several posts on Facebook about
“fasting” from social media for a while to avoid negativity, etc., so I know
this isn't just me. There is so much ugliness in the world today…and I think
women are worse than men….we are so judgmental of each other, all in the name
of our own insecurities. Life is hard enough, people…be nice to each other!
I think it’s a wonderful thing to be able to connect with
each other, to share our lives with people that are far away, to conduct
business with people in other towns….but I think these same tools have the
potential to breed discontentment or feelings of not being “enough” in our
lives.
So….you will likely NOT see a huge increase in the number of
pics I’m uploading to my Facebook page….I feel confident that my kids will have
plenty of reasons to seek out therapy as adults, but I don’t think this will be
one of them :)
