My Facebook Break

You've heard of a juice fast. It doesn't mean you fast from juice, right?  It means that - for a short period of time - you only consume juice. I put myself on a Facebook notifications fast. I head on over to Facebook to see if it's anyone's birthday, or if anyone has messaged me, or if anyone in my family has posted something (which shows up in my notifications). If I want to say something to someone, and that's my best way to reach them, I message them there. But no "solid foods"...no scrolling and browsing through my News Feed for an hour here and an hour there, whenever I'm bored or lonely or stressed or tired. No scrolling and browsing through my News Feed as soon as I get in the door from an errand.  No posting every detail of my life or thoughts.

Why did I decide to do this?  Two reasons: the "negative" and the "positive". 

I'm always preaching the new-to-me principle of taking good care of ourselves, and I need to practice it. I love seeing what my friends and family are doing. And connecting with people often tends to energize me.  But, the political climate (for lack of a better description) - the anger, frustration, depression, fear, and bitterness - that I have often seen recently, tends to drain me. It distracts me. It gives me anxiety. It makes me sad. Now, I don't think we can, or should, avoid all negative situations or emotions, and it's up to each person what they want to post or talk about.  We all have different interests and ways of expressing ourselves, and we have different emotional capacities at different times in our lives. Mine is a bit low at the moment. Additionally, I decided that the world doesn't need me to set them straight. I don't need to take the time to research every erroneous post that's been passed on and show someone why it's erroneous.  I need to humbly take care of my own affairs. And so, I decided to take a rest.

In the process, I've found not only a little more peace but also a little more time. I've made some major progress in our ongoing de-cluttering project, sorting through boxes that were sitting here in our living room, boxes from our storage and boxes from several family members. Our living room is looking more like a living room now, and that energizes me.

And I've had the time and presence of mind to be impressed by the little seredipities that come my way. Not just the happy things and the things I'm thankful for, but also the interesting little things that happen because of some mistake or accident. Like Freecycling an ice bucket that I bought some months ago that I used as a footstool on my balcony but the color just doesn't work...and through offering it on Freecycle, meeting a fascinating storyteller who works in hospice and grief. Like driving with my son Robert on his birthday to pick up my other son, and being so deep in conversation together that I found myself on an on-ramp to a freeway...and getting off and getting a bit lost...and driving by a street named Robert Myers...on his birthday!

I will probably be back to scrolling my Facebook News Feed, and contributing more often again, too. Who fasts on an ongoing basis, right? But for now, if you'll excuse me, I've got some cleaning to do...of the real-world, hands-in-the-water type.

God bless.