While I Was Out | Reflections of my Facebook Free Life

I gave up my Facebook account (sans Messenger) for the Lent season so I could give my head and my heart a mental health break. Facebook is a dangerous beast; we forget that folks selectively post the moments they share and it's easy to fall into a jealous slump when it appears others have their shit together and you're over here not even sure where all of your shit is, much less how to get it together in an adult-like fashion. This break has been great for that.

What it's not great for is missing those big moments in people's lives that I would otherwise have ~~stalked~~ read about by now. Weddings have taken place, pregnancies undoubtedly have been announced (sigh), babies have been born, and loved ones (others' loved ones, not my own, I like to think I wouldn't hear of such losses via Facebook) have been lost without my knowledge. It caught me off guard when I learned some of these things this past weekend. I found out about them through Instagram which felt less personal and more distant. It also made me realize that I often scroll through some of those events with little thought or appreciation & occasional jealousy.

Taking that all into consideration, there's just 2 weeks left and I don't feel compelled to dig into my Facebook or reinstall my app. I can follow through to completion. I think this break has done a great job reminding me not to compare myself to others while also showing me just how much I feel part of a community when I am active. I've gotten more than a few messages asking where the heck I am lately, that people are missing Charlie pictures... we'll be back! On Sunday, March 27th, I will reinstall my Facebook app and try to figure out what's been going on while I've been away!

To mental health!
xo

Comments

Momma K

It's true. I love my mom. She's my best source of advice & wisdom, even though it took me roughly 20 years to figure that out. I just wanted to take a quick second and thank her for all that she's done for me and especially for the things she didn't do for me. =) I wouldn't be the person I am today without her. Love you mom! We're pretty fabulous, no?

Baptizing Le Nugget

There they are... got my first big hit of hormonal pregnancy tears this morning as I thought about baptizing our daughter & where we'd like to baptize her. It just kind of hit me all at once with more clarity than I could have ever expected. Let me back up a hot second; we attended a Lutheran Easter service this Sunday while visiting family and I was so totally turned off by this pastor's sermon and approach that it made me really reflect on what my beliefs are and when I feel most connected to a sense of faith. Porch and I spoke in great detail about our hopes for our daughter and none of them included the messages being delivered at that Easter service -- the implicit messages, obviously. There's not a terrible amount of difference between the Lutheran service and the Catholic service, but there was just a vibe that turned us both off. As I drove to work this morning, it came over me as I was thinking about where we could baptize our daughter. We don't ...

It doesn't matter how slow you go...

I saw this online the other day and at first, thought how appropriate it is for what Porch & I have been attempting lately (lots of running) but after some deeper thought and revisiting, I've come to think of this as being more fitting for our story on the road to making a tiny human. I think it's appropriate, meaningful, and inspirational all at once. A great reminder that no matter how slow we move, how many baby steps (no pun intended) we take, as long as we keep moving forward, it's better than giving up in frustration. I once had a colleague tell me that it was only important that we "keep moving forward, no matter what." That mantra has stuck with me for years and I've come to apply it personally and professionally. It's okay that this is taking time. It's our story and it will never be the same as anyone else's story. Likewise, I am not a runner. I honestly don't even know why I started running, but damn it. It feels so ...

Los Porchs

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