The World is A Little Bit Colder

In the first 24 hours of my separation from Facebook and Twitter, the clouds rolled in, the temperature dropped below freezing, and the snow began to fall.  I think this is a sign that God truly feels the pain of this sacrifice and even the angels are crying.

You know, I poke fun at myself for giving up these two social networking sites, but honestly I had no idea how hard this would be.  I know that probably only makes my situation even more ridiculous, but I also know that Lent is going to be Very Long.

I think what makes me so susceptible to, in particular with the Facebook addiction (which I miss a great deal more than Twitter), is that I really use it as a connection to friends and family that I rarely have the chance to see in person.  It's easy to say, "Well, Angela, just pick up the phone!", but on top of the fact that I just plain hate the phone, we all have very busy lives.  Not many people have the time to go through their address book, touching base with all of their friends and family every week.

The wonderful thing about Facebook is that when I'm particularly missing my sister, I can just log on, click over to her profile, read her About Me section, look at her pictures, write on her wall, and instantly feel closer to her.  And I can do that at midnight, or while she's stuck in rehearsal, or I'm watching the kids at school.  A huge and growing number of my family and friends who live hundreds or thousands of miles away are really only a click away because of Facebook, and I feel confident that it is a huge part of the reason that I'm still in touch with many of them after all of these years of moving so frequently and living so far apart.

Anyway, I know it's only a little over a month and a half away from Facebook, but in those 46 days, I do truly feel like I'm making a sacrifice.  Not just the sacrifice of a tool to fight the boredom while I'm in line at the grocery store, but the sacrifice of feeling that constant connection to my friends and family over the magic of the internet.

I'm definitely counting down the days until I can log back in to my profile, but who knows, maybe over the next few weeks I'll be compelled to make a few more phone calls and keep up with my email.  And that's definitely not a bad thing.

Comments

[PrincessExtraordinaire]

I can understand why you're feeling separation anxiety - I don't think I could do that as I love to be in contact with my family too - kudos to you for your efforts!

[Becky aka StinkyLemsky]

I'm only recently on the FB bandwagon, but I have already really enjoyed checking in on the lives of my cousins (many of whom I see maybe once a year) and even friends from old jobs. I can totally understand what you mean!

[Brittany]

Yeah, well, the thing about your Lenten sacrifice is it's becoming MY Lenten sacrifice, too ;) I still haven't given anything up...

[La Petite Chic]

I think I would have a harder time giving up Facebook too! Hang in there :)

[Jay]

You're going to have zero friends by the end of all this, so I imagine it will be pretty easy for you to manage a desolate Facebook account upon your return...

[katelin]

oh man i could never give up twitter or facebook and i am a certified addict! :)

[E.P.]

I understand the plight, and I would feel the same way if I had given up FB/Twitter for Lent. I'm impressed that you're doing this! Keep it up, lady!

[Kate P]

Good for you, you're doing it. I think you'll be surprised what you cultivate in the absence of FB. :)

[The Incubator]

Gee -- we're waiting to hear from you!