People Are Dying in the World, and I am Sad about Facebook?

Further thoughts on "leaving" Facebook...

1. This is silly.  I was sneezing this morning, and my first thought was that I should post that as a Facebook status update.  At no time before Facebook existed did I ever feel like my sneezing (or other bodily functions, for that matter) needed to be shared with all of my friends.  However, I now yearn for that kinship.

2. This is hard.  I was shopping on Saturday when I ran into some real-life friends, several of whom are on my Facebook friends list.  We only spoke for a moment, and I thought, Well, I'll just message them on Facebook later to say hello.  Then, knowing that I didn't have that option, I actually went back to them before I left the building to say goodbye.  (Did I mention that I am terrible at saying goodbye?)

3. This isn't exactly working.  Even though I am off Facebook - posting this blog or responding to people via email doesn't count - I am still spending way too much time online.  The other night, I spent hours reading other people's blogs after my family had gone to bed.  My unhappy husband woke up and wondered what I was doing in the wee hours of the morning.  Apparently, I have replaced Facebook with other screen time. 

I feel like Facebook is coffee, and this blog is hot cocoa.  Last night, I had a delicious cup of hot cocoa, when what I really wanted was coffee.  However, a warm, sweet drink does the trick... for now.

4. What in the heck did people do before social networking?  Well, we called people on the telephone, we wrote directly to them (even email, now passe, counts toward that), and we visited them in person whenever possible.  However, sites like Facebook make that so much easier.  Unfortunately, with or without three kids, I don't have time to visit my hundreds of friends who live in town, much less those who live out of the state or out of the country.  When I post to Facebook (or ideally, when I respond to others, since that is more social than narcissistic), I can connect with people with a push of a button. 

Facebook isn't bad... look at how it contributes to democracy and the unity of all people.  There, I said it.

I might take the kids for a walk today, after my 5-year-old posts to her blog.