I made a commitment to deactivate my Facebook account on Easter Sunday.  I have considered doing this for quite some time, but somehow just could not follow through with it, because I was HOOKED!  My reason for staying on Facebook so long is because I am a social person who loves to communicate.  I saw it as a gathering place for friends to pop in and say hello and show their most recent events in pictures and words, and where I would do the same.  For better or worse, I saw Facebook as a modern form of conversation, but I came to see that this wasn’t necessarily what it was to others.  Hence, as I was posting a myriad of pictures from our trips, or writing my daily thoughts, I was beginning to feel a bit like a narcissist and I was increasingly feeling self indulgent.  You know, someone who thinks that life is all about them.  This is NOT who I am, but I recognize it could be seen that way.  I have such enthusiasm about my life. I always have, even as a small child when my life was so small.  It always just bubbled to the surface and overflowed. It was in the small things that I found delight and humor and still is.  A good thing considering how small a persons world gets in retirement and advancing age.

My biggest reason for deciding to drop out, albeit temporarily, is because logging on to Facebook had become a daily ritual which was taking up more and more of my time.  I had come to the point of seeing that out of my 130 some “friends”, only about 10-15 were posting and maybe 20 would comment, or “like” which was nice because at least you knew they were there.  The other 110 were out there somewhere and it made me uneasy because most generally, “friends” are not silent and invisible

I certainly do not think my life is better than other peoples lives, not by a long shot.  But, I do like to express my gratitude for it.  Before Facebook, my expression took form primarily in thoughts as I went about my day.  I would often share a condensed version of my thoughts with my husband or a friend on occasion when the spirit moved me to do so.  I have always been a thinker, a reader and a writer.  I love surrounding myself with words.  Even as a child, if I were having cold cereal for breakfast, I would read the words on the entire box.  Words…a definite part of who I am.

Personally, I just feel these thoughts that keep coming to me are symptoms of a person who needs to be a writer….and it certainly doesn’t have to be a published writer either!  Writing gives me a place to put all the words that keep surfacing in my mind.  I would say that technology has made the journaling of all my thoughts so much easier.

I must say, the people who responded so affirmatively were responsible for me continuing to make my entries.  These generous souls are who would be known as the encouragers of the world.  I love the encouragers….they are the ones who are made happy by seeing the needs in others and filling it.  They make the world a much nicer and more civil place to live.

As for my writing,  it has been nice to know that it makes a difference to some.  I really love making a positive difference in another persons life and if my writing puts a bright spot in someone’s day, then so much the better.

For now, I will content myself with writing on my blog.  As Al says, it is unlikely very many will follow “Thoughts Expressed” because it just represents “one more piece of technology” to deal with, and I know that.  But that is o.k.  I just want a place to deposit my words, much like a rich man needing a place to deposit his money for safekeeping.

Words that ramble around and about, need to find a way to come out.