I recently celebrated an anniversary…2 years on Facebook. It passed without any fanfare or “happy anniversary” posts on my wall, as it was an anniversary only I was aware of. When I was on maternity leave with my second child, a friend told me that I just haaaaaad to get on Facebook. I dutifully completed the assignment and haven’t looked back.
Facebook and I have had our ups and downs which is to be expected with any “friendship” of this type. In the beginning, we just couldn’t get enough of each other. Like an addict, I mainlined Facebook multiple times a day. Laptops in my house were referred to as “Facebook Machines”. As time wore on, my relationship with Facebook took a nasty turn. My so-called friend made me feel inadequate and depressed and like a “have not”. Facebook taunted me…this friend won the lottery, this friend spring breaked in Fiji, this friend bought vacation homes in Palm Beach AND Aspen, this friend assumed the CEO spot at a major corporation, this friend found the cure to cancer. Everytime we got together, I was consumed by “compare and despair” syndrome. Facebook became my frenemy.
I subscribe to the philosophy that if you concentrate on what you have, you’ll end up having more and if you constantly focus on what you don’t have, you’ll end up having less. I had a spec-tac-u-lar life so how could I hang with someone who was always bringing me down? Facebook and me…we had to evaluate our friendship and why we liked each other in the first place. From the beginning, I knew I could always count on Facebook’s keen sense of humor. Re-defining our relationship has preserved our friendship! I am so glad that I did not de-friend Facebook. Because if I had, I would have missed out on these laughs! Facebook is that friend who can always make me laugh and sometimes laughter is the fix I need.
Gretchen:
Overhead a couple drinking wine together at dinner. Wife says “I love you.” Hubby asks “Is that you or the wine talking?” Wife replies “It’s me…talking to the wine.”
Heather:
Funniest part of my day was when Max started lifting up my hair and looking at the back of my head. “What are you doing?” I asked. “I am looking for the eyes. My teacher said adults have eyes in the backs of their heads.”
Janelle:
Looked at a recent photo taken of me and complained about the bags under my eyes. Tom says “you can totally remove those with Photoshop.” Followed up with “I meant it as a compliment – you are really good at Photoshop.”
Brian:
“Daddy, what animals am I taller than?” I said “Well you are taller than most penguins.” To which she replied, “Not if you stack them.”
Margaret:
About died laughing when a solicitor rang my doorbell this afternoon and then asked me if my parents were home. Maybe it was the Boone’s Farm t-shirt I had on?
4 comments
Susan, I thought I was the only person who felt like this. Facebook is an interesting place. I mean no one wants to be Debbie Downer on there, because you look a little crazy. But then again, no one is happy 365 days a year and yet status updates would lead you to believe everyone in the world is walking on sunshine each day.
I will tell you Facebook is also really hard when you are struggling with infertility. It seems like everyone is announcing pregnancies and posting baby pictures while you silently suffer. I had to get away from it for a while when struggling to have a child, because no one wants to read – Hopped up on hormones, having hot flashes and considering violence against my husband. Hope I have enough follicles to make a baby this month. Not exactly Facebook material!!
The trick is to hide the annoying updaters so you only see your friends that post entertaining items.
What about the unfriending friends saga? I mean when we all first started, EVERYONE was your friend. Then you realize quickly that you “friended” way too many. And then what happens when life happens and situations and relationships change?? How to handle…
@Jen – just blocked them from seeing your wall posts. I have to do that with the in-laws because they would know if I *unfriended* them! 😉