Why I Left Facebook

**If you're just now reading this... it's been a little over a month... you probably see that I've reactivated my FB page. I plan on writing about it, I just have been so busy with school. I have a feeling this whole FB thing will be an ongoing dialogue with my fellow bloggers! Stay tuned.**

I didn't really want to write this post because 1. I don't want people to feel like I am criticizing those who have Facebook accounts and 2. I feel like a hypocrite because Facebook and I have been in a relationship for six years. SIX years! Facebook and I have been together longer than my husband and I, and I anticipate that this is going to be a tough tie to break, WHICH is why I decided to write this blog post. I want to be able to look back and clearly see why I left... what were my reasons? Because Facebook and I have broken up before. It just doesn't help that it's so easy and so tempting to get back together. So without further delay, Why I left Facebook. {In no particular order}

1. It takes up so much of my time.

More than I'm willing to admit. Let's just say that I spend an hour a day on Facebook, and that's being generous. After 1 year, that means I spent 15 whole days of my life on Facebook. 15 DAYS! Since I've had a Facebook account for 6 years, I have spent (at least) 90 days of my life on Facebook. At least. That really bothers me for reason's I'll explain shortly. There is so much that can be done in 90 days. Even if it was 90 extra days of sleep... rest is good for the soul!

2. I feel like I'm overlooking those right in front of me.

Most of the times I use Facebook are when I'm bored... or waiting for something. Waiting at the doctor's office, waiting in line someplace, somewhere. I'm afraid that because of Facebook I've missed the opportunities to interact with the people that God has placed in my path for a reason. My excuse could be that I'm an introvert and I hate small talk and random conversations with strangers, but I'm not going to allow myself to make that excuse {any longer}. Not all human interactions are meant to develop into lifelong friendships. Sometimes God places the exact people in your path that need to hear what you have to say or vice versa. I've also toyed with the thought that maybe one of my Facebook friends needs to hear what I've got to say, but I'm willing to trust that God can reach anyone, anywhere in any way.

3. I'm jealous of those not on Facebook.

Okay, at first I'm mildly annoyed that I don't know what they're doing in life or what's going on, but then I realize that those thoughts are all about me and not about them at all. I'm just curious and nosy. Jealous of their privacy. It's one thing to be jealous of something someone has or something they get to do (though covetousness is still a sin), but to be jealous over something that you can easily attain with the click of a button and some self-control? What nonsense! There is a reason celebrities crave privacy. We all want it, and arguably need it to some extent.

4. I'm not in the physical shape I want to be in.

I'm not implying that being off of Facebook will automatically give me the body I want, but replacing my Facebook time with anything that doesn't involve sitting and staring at a computer, phone, or tablet screen is more healthy in general. And I've been that girl on my Facebook while running on the treadmill or elliptical at the gym. It doesn't work. Period.

5. I'm not as spiritually healthy as I want to be.

Remember the 1 hour a day time period spent on Facebook? I can't honestly say that I've spent an hour a day reading my Bible, praying or serving in such a way that models my Facebook use. Yet I feel so filled and ministered to during those moments I intentionally spend with my Savior. Those are the moments my soul longs for.

6. Face to face time is less meaningful.

I'm not saying it happens less often, I'm just saying that I've found it to be less meaningful. There are so many times where I've tried to share something about my day to someone and their first response is, "I know. I saw it on Facebook." The conversation stops there and then there is silence and a pause waiting for the next topic of interest. When those times happen it makes me regret my post because there's something about sharing a funny story or something that happened in your life to someone standing right in front of you.

7. November

Or should I say October? I don't know of anyone who likes to log onto Facebook during election season. It's hateful, friendships are damaged (or lost) and it's just a mess. If you're new to Facebook, just wait.

8. I've shared news on Facebook that I should have shared in person (or over the phone).

I'm part of the Internet generation, and technology is our way of life. It's a whole new world, and a new part of life that we are trying to learn how to manage. Regrettably, I've shared important news, like that we were adopting, over Facebook/my blog, that we should have waited to share until I had contacted all of our family. Maybe I was scared of what their reaction would be; maybe I just didn't want to spend all that time making phone calls. Whatever my reasons were at the time, I regret how some people found out, and I'm sorry. I'm sure I upset a lot of people and I want to do things differently in the future because I hope to have many years of exciting news to share. My generation... we're learning. Please be patient with us.

9. I don't want my kid(s) on Facebook.

No, I'm not saying I don't want them to have Facebook accounts when they turn 13. I mean that I don't want to post about them when I'm a mom. My parents didn't have Facebook when I was growing up, and I'm glad. I'm glad my childhood wasn't broadcast to hundreds of "friends" that probably wouldn't have cared about me anyways. Children don't have a say in what gets said about them, and once you put it on the Internet, it's there to stay whether you delete it or not. I'm not paranoid about online predators (they are out there) or people tracking online photos to your house (they can), but my childrens' stories will be theres to tell, not mine. I'm sorry if this is disappointing to those of you who have supported our adoption, but we will post as many or as few pictures as we decide, as parents, is acceptable. More importantly, we will be very cautious as to whom we share information with. If you supported us or are going to support us, you are showing that you trust our abilities as parents in providing a safe and loving home for our daughter. Thank you for that trust and support.

I'm going to pause and insert a word of advice to all of you reading. Please do not post any pictures of anybody else's children on the Internet without that parent's permission. I know I have done it in the past but over the past year I have tried to be extremely conscious of not doing that unless their parent tells me it is okay. I just know I would not feel comfortable if a friend, baby-sitter, anyone had pictures of my child floating around on their profiles. Print the picture out and give it to them the next time you see them. Those are more thoughtful and valuable than any online copy anyways. Back to my original reason for writing... :)

10. I get to develop real friendships.

I have a good idea of who my true friends are. They're the ones I see and hang out with outside the Facebook world. Those are the friendships I want to continue to invest in. Those are the people I want to surround myself with. As human beings, we aren't meant to keep in touch with everyone we've ever met. People are in our lives for seasons. They're not meant to be there forever. Part of life is letting go and moving on. Sometimes we don't want to because of a happy memory or experience. Sometimes we want to run away, but we can't because of how interconnected social media is. I'm choosing to let relationships go. Some I don't want to, but I need to. I can't maintain them all, and I don't want to. Here's to letting go and no more awkward moments of seeing a Facebook friend out in public and going out of my way to avoid them because it's a super awkward situation.

...

So I probably have a lot more reasons why I left but this has been a really long blog post, and I'm tired of writing. Facebook world, I'll miss you for a little bit, but I have a feeling I won't really in the long run. Yes, I will still have this blog. I hope you come back and check up on how things are going with the adoption. If you ever need to get into contact with me, just leave a comment, send me an email or give me a call. I'd love to hear from you. Again, thanks for reading, bookmark this page and come back soon.

Summer is Almost Gone!

Hello September! Summer is almost gone, and I just wanted to share one of my favorite memories from this past summer. Alex and I went to Panama City Beach in July, and one of the big things that we did was that we went swimming with dolphins! We actually did this twice... with dolphins who were rescued and living at a marine park and then with dolphins in the wild. We didn't really get any good pictures of the dolphins in the wild, but the best ones we have are on Instagram. The lovely staff at Gulf World Marine Park in Panama City Beach had a photographer to capture the moments we spent with our dolphin, Maya. Even though it was pouring rain and on the verge of a thunderstorm, Alex and I really enjoyed the time we spent in the pool with Maya, swimming with her and letting her show off all her cool tricks. Here are some photos that the photographer was able to snap, rain and all. {black & white effects were my doing}