My
girlfriends religiously post on FB. Pictures, status updates, thoughts on
politics, religion, restaurants, bands, movies…the list goes on. And they post all times of the day and
night. I know at any given moment in
time what Josie in Texas had for breakfast, what movie Trina in California saw
last night, how Shawna in Colorado is about the jump over the cliff if school
doesn’t start, like tomorrow. While some
may think this is a great and easy way to keep up with friends, I think of it
as more of a way to avoid actual communication and talking, I mean really
talking one-on-one, with those that we know.
Facebook
only paints the picture we want painted.
It may or may not be real but it is what we want others to think of us. How many “friends” do you know that have what
seems to be a near perfect life? Their
dear husband always does and says such cute things, their kids are adorable and
such a delight to be around, even the most mundane snack – crackers and hot
chocolate – can be turned into a gastronomical delight – in Facebook
language. It’s not real folks!
For some
reason it seems being braggadocios is the new norm. In the old days we called this
conceited. As we get older we can call
this narcissistic. Meaning – it’s all
about me! Now, we know these last few
years have been turbulent both socially and financially. Social networking allows people to live the
life they wished they were living.
Somehow make it look better than it really is. While a little bit of living grand can be fun
and actually mood boosting, too much of it creates a false sense of
reality. It becomes harder to live in
the “real world” where life can actually be hard sometimes. The husband is not always nice and the kids
sometimes make bad grades and lose soccer games – because they really did play
poorly. Sometimes beans are just that –
beans. Not a filet mignon in
disguise. Just beans.
My
solution to this? Get the phone out and
try calling a friend. Talk to them out
loud – where they can hear you. Better
yet, meet for coffee or go to the park or meet at each other’s house for an
hour. Simply reconnect with people and
let them get to know the real you. Get
to know the real them. You may be
surprised at how much you like the “real” person and even more surprised to
find out that they may actually like you, even the “real” you.
