I am sad about this

Sometimes, while on face book, I get lost. I just start clicking. It was easier on myspace back in the day because no one believed in privacy settings. And it occurred to me while getting lost into others conversations, posted pictures, comments, updates and chatting that from what I saw, face book has become the face of many people. Why have a phone conversation and “waste” waste minutes when you can send a message. Why ask for pictures of the kids when you can scroll through the latest 300. Why send a birthday card when you can just write on someone’s wall.
Though I myself am a very big fan of this wonderful website, I think that there is much taken away from the day to day interactions with people that we now take for granted.
I really started to think deeply about this yesterday because I, being one of those people, have stayed “friends” with people because of face book. That has been the only contact I have had with certain people in a year. Some of these people living with-in a thirty minute drive. And most of it has become pointless comments and wall postings. “oh I miss you so much. Dinner date soon!” “that is a great picture, miss you” and all with the true intent not to really try to plan that meeting.
Some people, like me, post their lives on face book. Happy, sad, making dinner and doing laundry….. You name it, you have probably read it. Some people keep in simple and post once a week, maybe even no posts at all. Some use it for email only. But most, post for someone to read. We are a nation of gossip queens and even some kings and like the old saying goes “if it isn’t on face book it didn’t happen”.
But something hit me kind of hard yesterday while thinking about this and getting lost in people’s pages and lives. And it was because I was more shocked with how much we may have truly lost, myself included, in the everyday, old fashion face to face.
I have a friend, well, someone that for a few years was a best friend. Daily texts and comments, phone calls and dinner. All lost now. But none the less, this friend is living day by day for the past week on pins and needles and with strength I do not myself possess. And I have followed the updates daily. I have sent my thoughts and prayers and hugs and kisses and honestly feel like a horrible person for not being closer. But the thing that has struck me and somewhat made me think, is that even people who are closer, are living their lives.
Nothing has changed for them or their daily routine. Nothing has shifted what they value or don’t and nothing other then comments are left, followed by an update of the best things going on in their lives or who they will be seeing, drinking, smelling…ect.
Part of me feels like I should be there too! That I should be helping, running errands, laundry, whatever is needed because that’s what people used to do for people. Maybe it is just a guilt that I was that person and that I know this person. (enough to know that there is tears and hearts that break daily and repair daily)
And it wasn’t just this one friend either. I got lost reading others ups and others downs. Some being tragic and others being just a bump in the road. And yet, sometimes nothing is said or commented on. And in some months after a post someone says “I barely come on anymore when did this happen” but if you follow their wall and conversations, they have been on everyday 6 or 7 times.
I am not even sure why I felt I needed to write about this or how the guilt of realizing that I am one of those too, I am that girl who talks to the “friends” who are only face book friends now. Re-lives that moments of the face to face joys that made us and the memories we hold onto now as face book friends with the broken promises of meeting up and doing it again.
I have changed and gotten busy and so has everyone and I know that it is part of life, but now I wonder if the parts of life that used to make us slow down and change everything, the important things, the moments that changed everything will just be an up loaded photo and the videos that will make it and tagged to see so that we could at least see. I am sad about this. I am very sad about this.