One week later. Where am I?

In all honesty, I have not missed Facebook at all.  However, I do wonder what I am missing?  A few times I have thought to message someone (no one in particular) via Facebook messenger because that has been our usual mode of communication, and maybe it's a little less bothersome and seems a little less urgent in comparison to texting.  But all in all, I have been fine and busy without Facebook.  Then again, I do not know what I am missing, such as importsnt updates on my friend's daughter who has battled a brain tumor, event invites, seeing where friends and family will be spending their holidays, etc.   My removal from Facebook does not mean I do not care about these "friends" in my life.  In fact, I think of many of these people quite often.  But for the moment, I am enjoying the peace, freedom from distraction, and "de-cluttering" of my soul and spirit.  

I am focusing my energy on what I feel is most important at this point in my life, which is making things "right" within my family and life.  Perhaps it an illusion, but I feel I have greater ability and energy right now to spend on many "projects" I've been procrastinating on... such as organizing and cleaning out toys, books, and clothes that my boys have outgrown.  Wow, how good it feels to see empty space and order within their shared closet!!  

I have been traveling the past three days for work.... I admit during this time I yearned more for my Facebook.  It is such a habit to check my phone for new text messages, voicemails, emails, and (of course) Facebook notifications, each time I land.  After being "out of pocket" (in-flight) for several hours, I always feel eager to get back in touch quickly!  This trip was not so eventful ;). I had very little contact and communication with my friends and acquaintances.  BUT, I had more phone calls home to my boys.... and actually heard their sweet voices tell me about their day at school and what they were going to eat for dinner.  I also noted two interesting conversations with cab drivers to and from airports, that probably never would have happened with my headphones on and intently scrolling through my Facebook.  These two cab drivers happened to be women, from New York City, and one told me more about her "shifts" and schedule as a cab driver, and the other told me how she would be spending her thanksgiving at her nieces' house on Long Island.  It occurred to me.... these are real people with real lives, and my life is currently in their hands, trusting them to transport me to and from the airport.  So many times I hop in the car with these drivers, getting around New York City for my job.  I am always polite and courteous, but never truly pay a lot of attention to the driver.  It occurs to me that they are actually an integral part of getting me to work in a prompt manner, and showing them some respect and appreciation doesn't take much effort at all.  I should be grateful that they woke up that morning and made the effort to go to work!  Sometimes just sitting in a car, chatting with a cab driver, and taking in the scenery while looking out the window (instead of staring into my phone), can be eye-opening in a strange way;)  I'm starting to look around at certain instances in my life, to see if ANYONE is doing an activity off of their phone, tablet, or laptop.  Granted, I spend a lot of time in airports and on airplanes, which happen to be probably the two most popular places for "time-killers".  But really.... try this sometime.  Try to just sit still, without a device in hand, and look around.  Really look around!  I guarantee you will feel awkward (it feels awkward to me!). But it's truly interesting.  You'll see most people are in their own worlds, continuing their business and communications, which is fine.  Afterall, life goes on all the time!!  But I'm trying to make an effort to do this at times (sit still without a device), and take mental notes of what I observe.  I suppose without my Facebook I have more time for these silly little experiments.  But at least it is keeping mind and spirit more active and alive!  

So, I'll blog more about my observations next time :-)

"How are you? I only see you now on Facebook!"

I didn't mention that actually "you haven't seen me for three days because I'm no longer on Facebook".  Why get into it?  Instead, I just grinned and said "I know!!!"  And we then continued catching up on what our kids have been up to, etc.  I do not wish for my removal from Facebook to be a complete topic of conversation, or to make others contemplate it or wonder if they should give it up also.  I think it is a completely personal decision.....there are many goods and bads about it... but the sure thing is that life will continue to go on with or without it.  So , since Tuesday night, my life has continued to go on, and it feels great!

Today, Felix and I ran our first 5K together!  Felix has never run one, and I have not run one since my bad spell with plantar fasciitis.  However, Felix's PE teacher at school is an actual "Ironman", so a good bit of his curriculum is geared towards running.  Honestly, I did not know what to expect from Felix's abilities.  We agreed before the race that he could run in front of me if he needed to, but that I would not leave him ;). The boy dusted me!!!  5K's always start quick, but he was gone!  He was pacing it out with two of his friends (same age) who happened to be running as well.... the three of them ended up placing first, second, and third :). At the halfway point, Felix was within sight, and I caught up to him at the start of mile 3.  I think he was shocked to hear me cheering him on so close!  So yes..... I caught the boy!!  We continued to run our last mile together.... I admit, I slowed my pace a little for him, as I've always been a runner who speeds up as I warm up.  But I made a pact that I would not leave or pass Felix... so we paced it out together, and I would not trade that experience for the world!!  Felix did great!  I was one proud mama :-). 

I admit, there were times when I wanted to go on Facebook and post a picture and how proud I was of Felix, to share it with ALL my "friends" and family... mainly out of habit.  But then I remembered this blog.... and I knew I could take the time later in the day, AFTER the event, and write about it in detail.  

I'm so happy and proud that Felix is finding joy and a sense of accomplishment in running.... an activity I have been able to turn to through thick and thin.  It's the "cure" to my bloated "jet-belly", the "yes!" to second servings, and the guarantee of those "feel-good" endorphins!

Goodbye Social Networks

Two nights ago, I did it!   I cut the cord, meaning I "deactivated" my Facebook account, deleted my Instagram, and removed the apps from my devices.  I can't explain exactly why that night was the night.  Honestly, I have contemplated before whether Facebook keeps us all more connected or less connected, and often question if Facebook is just a façade of what we want people to see.  But I never questioned it to the point that I wanted to eliminate it from my life.  Afterall, I love seeing pictures of my friends and family, their children, where people are vacationing, my father's random thoughts about sports and politics, etc. and occasionally will peruse an article of interest from a posted link or YouTube video.  Regardless, last night was the night of "deactivation".  Am I up for the challenge?  I'm starting this blog to ease me through the transition and to "log" how the process of elimination goes.  Will I become more connected with the people I consider close in my life because the use of phones, lunch dates, and email will come back into play?  Afterall, if someone really knows me, they have my phone number, right?  Or will I start to feel alienated, alone, and disconnected...because everyone else in the world and in my circle is still consumed with Facebook and Instagram?  We will see.

Two nights ago, my evening began by meandering around New York City with one of my dearest friends, who I've known since college.  I met her in Soho after she finished work.  We popped in a few shops, grabbed a gourmet chocolate chip cookie from an adorable bakery, and then continued on to meet one of her friends at a swanky after-work Calvin Klein event (was not prepared for that, in my holey, tattered jeans & boots), but we sipped some bubbly and all was fine.  My friend and I then went for dinner at a nearby fun & trendy hotspot, serving upscale, overpriced Asian fusion cuisine in crunched, elbow-to-elbow tables.  We settled into our typical girl chatter over a nice glass of Cabernet.  As enjoyable as our dinner and conversation was, I couldn't help but notice that we spent a good bit of time scrutinizing our pictures from the evening... deciding which photo finish to use, who would post what, what to hashtag, who to tag, where to check us in...? 

After dinner, my friend and I were taking trains in different directions, so we hugged and said our goodbyes.  I found myself literally "power-walking" to the closest subway stop for my train.  Perhaps it was the second glass of Cab or the pleasant evening air, or the "calm" after our non-stop evening, but I suddenly stopped on the corner of Lexington & 53rd, looked around, and told myself to slow down!  Why was I in such a hurry?  Was it to get to a stopping point to see how many "likes" or comments we had accrued throughout the night?  Maybe.  Maybe not.  But why do I care so much?  I sometimes wonder am I truly living in the moment and fully taking in my life experiences and day-to-day activities, or am I creating these experiences because i want an interesting, fun post on my Facebook?  And is the fun part actually seeing what my "friends" reactions are through their comments and "likes"?  I admit, I am selective with what I post on Facebook.  I tend to keep my opinions to myself, and only post the most flattering pictures of myself and my kids, of course :). Therefore, my Facebook doesn't reflect my whole, entire life.  In addition, sometimes I wonder how many true and real interactions and conversations with people am I missing out on because I have my eyes intent scrolling through my Facebook and often music pulsing through my headphones.  Seems to work pretty well as a "do not disturb" sign.  

I know I'm not the first to have these sentiments about social networking, but I'm writing this blog to be more of a true account and reflection of my life.  I plan to share how this process of elimination goes, and how it impacts or changes my real-life relationships.  I will share this with my family and eventually my close circle of friends.....maybe my "friends" who actually take notice that I'm missing from Facebook :). 

Oh, and by the way, I fully intend to remain on Pinterest because I absolutely need the creative inspirations!!