Hey everyone. Hope each of you are holding up during this ongoing pandemic. Are each of you as tired of the stress and ongoing discussions all around COVID? I know I am bone weary, soul weary about it! Every part of the day consists of discussing, listening, speculating, preparing all about this virus. It has made me realize we have become an entitled bunch of people and so opinionated that we have forgotten how to discuss things without getting our knickers in a knot. By entitled I mean we are used to walking into a store and getting what we want let alone what we need, we have walked freely into stores and churches, we have become used to the comforts and extras in life. It all isn’t a bad thing, but sometimes it has made us lose sight of what is important or how blessed we are.
This then takes me to social media. On the days where I have needed an escape, well I am like the majority of you and have turned to different social media outlets to either catch up with friends, watch a plethora of videos on a popular app. I have also been told now by a couple of people that I over share or that I have shared “naughty or inappropraite” posts. Well, that made me really think. I never mean to offend. How many times do you read a post and laugh, or shake your head, or clutch your pearls? Then you don’t hit the emojis because then someone would see you liked a post with undertones. Well, you still read it. And when I post different things it is never to be offensive.
Some people have to be careful what they post because where they work, because of what family may say or how we may be judged. I know I have been judged by what I post or write. If I am judged on that, well you should see the stuff I don’t post! When did we become even more censured? We each can post or share something because it strikes a cord with us or made us laugh or made us think. We each are sexual beings hiding behind the good girls and boys we are supposed to be. We each have religious beliefs and just because we post silly things because we find them funny does this make us less religious? Are you anymore less religious because you read it or laugh? Am I “bad” for what I post? Maybe there are times I push the envelope and am sure my friends and family shake their head at me and there are times people won’t comment or like. Should I just keep myself tucked in or let a little frivolity loose? How about you? Are you staying tucked in, being who others think we should be? Do we each only share the sides of us that we are expected to show? Do we go on political rants or just show up at the polls? Do we post the shiny perfect sides or the truth in life that sometimes has a not so perfect side? Do we not post or react because then we somehow become linked to that person and someone may find out? Do we just stalk posts but never interact? Do we just post too damn much? Well I have opinions and thoughts about them all, duh!
We can get lost down the rabbit hole of social media, we can get lost in that world. It has been amazing to connect us when we are far apart. It has been able to pass on information and opinions and make us think. It can also divide, wreck relationships, and isolate like a group of mean girls. People can pick apart a post, family members unfriend or shake their head at what is posted. Politics abound. Sometimes people post somethung because they agree with the sentiment but aren’t necessarily going through it. Some people are so afraid of acknowledging anything on social media that you feel like a dirty little secret.
I post too much, something I have been thinking about and have been told. I sometimes post something with curse words, sexual innuendos and deep feeling emotions. Sometimes my posts are silly and sassy. But you see, every single one is a side of me. You have those sides as well. Aunt Sally may not want you to share those sides for the world to see as she has to show up at church and claim you. Yes we should be modest in our talk, we should be lady like, we should save those parts of ourselves and not share with the world. We need to be mysterious but approachable, intriguing yet inviting, we should be alot of things. The expectations, responsibilities, and constraints are overwhelming. I am not out there “catting about” or a woman of loose morals. I say a swear word, I enjoy an adult beverage, I am a passionate woman for the one that has my heart not the whole world, I snicker at inappropriate humor. I am also a mother, a nurse, a christian. I know I fail God everyday, I know that I embarass and disappoint someone in my life everyday. But you see, I am real. I am more than what I post on social media. I have thoughts and feelings, I have wants and desires, I have emotions that go on for days. I think deeply and over think, I love to laugh, I actually love to encourage. I love deeply and with all I have. I am tired and worn out with life sometimes. I am a friend that will like your post, share it, comment on it and not be ashamed or afraid (much to my family’s dismay). But the thing with me, is that I am the same way in real life.
I guess this rambling is to say, if you read a post and still laugh or cringe or have an opinion but you are afraid to show it– on social media or real life; well you still read it. We all have different sides to ourselves. Social media has brought people into my life that would not have been there before— I mean I work and manage a household as a single mom, when would I interact with anyone outside my bubble? It has brought a lot to my life and well at times taken some away. I waste time scrollong, I shock my conservative associates and family, I sometimes make someone think or feel. But I am just me, flaws and all. If you choose not to claim me, well you are losing out on an amazing human being. If you are afraid to comment or like or interact on social media, well I will still love you. It may hurt sometimes but that is part of life it seems. I don’t fit in a box, I don’t mean to embarass or offend. I do know this, I am not responsible for your reaction, only my action. The same goes for you. The same goes all the way around. Don’t judge a book by its cover or posts, judge it by the pages inside, the words that weave into the story, the memes, the silliness, the thoughts, deeds and actions. The real person found amongst it all. There is more to someone than their social media, more behind the well placed pictures and expected posts. There is more to the story. So be amazing my friends, giggle and laugh, feel and love outside the digital world and know that sometimes people post stuff for many reasons the same as you read them. Here is to the expected and unexpected events and posts in life!
