Status Update

For starters, I am not a facebook hater. I think facebook has a lot of positives: reconnecting with people, staying in touch with people I otherwise wouldn't, discovering everyone and your mom is pregnant, remembering people's birthdays, etc. But, it also has some negatives: knowing way too much information about people you never see, thinking everyone's life is perfect, finding out everyone and your mom is pregnant, etc.

I must confess this isn't a facebook problem, but a personal problem. I am a person that loves to compare myself to others (for better or worse). This is not something I am proud of. What that means is that I am constantly feeling like I don't measure up in a crowd of 500 "friends." I have nothing interesting going on in my life, I don't have anything witty to say, or I have nothing "worth" sharing. The reality is, most other people feel the same way, but we all fall into the trap of "showing off" on the interwebs. We all do it, just face it. Married people post about how awesome their husband is and what they just did to celebrate their anniversary, not about the fight they had last night. Moms post about their amazing children and the sweet/funny things they say, not about how they feel like they have to get out of the house or they will scream. We present a false sense of reality. Or, we are the awkward person who reveals too much personal information. Those are your choices. Sign me up.

So, all of this to say, that I have decided to give up facebook for Lent. I am not judging anyone who enjoys facebook and loves checking it everyday. I am not saying that I am better than people who spend time on facebook or twitter. I am only trying to say the opposite, which is that I am not mature enough to deal with facebook and if I were, I would be all about it. I'm realizing it is unhelpful for me at this season in my life, so I think it is wise to take a break. More power to the people that can handle social media with grace.

I would also like to point out that I do not always give up things for Lent. I don't always feel like it is something that is necessary or important to do. But, this year, I feel like it will be particularly helpful for me and a character-building sacrifice. So, again, please don't here judgement or guilt toward anyone that did not give up something for Lent. I do not want to make this another public forum for bragging. There are plenty of venues for that (ahem...facebook). I just wanted to share my thoughts and reasons behind my decision. Mostly, so I will actually have to do it, now that I am saying it on the internet.