I Hope You're not Fine!
I'm fine.
Seriously though. Fine.
Seriously though. Fine.
Actually though, not fine.
I am jubilant! Jeffrey H. Christmas, I'm in a good mood! No, it won't last, yes, there'll be lows and mediums and shit but for right now I'm basking in serotonin and caffeine with so much of the former I don't need much of the latter.
Because the kids are back to school! I know this is a worrisome time for many but I am fortunate because we live in one of the safest places on earth to be during this global pandemic and I finally have time and the will to take back my life.
And I am starting with a near-complete retreat from social media. By that I mean, I've found the value in it for me and will retain that value but I've also found the harm in it, for all, and I'm removing myself from it so that it's no longer pinging every moment of the day.
And I am starting with a near-complete retreat from social media. By that I mean, I've found the value in it for me and will retain that value but I've also found the harm in it, for all, and I'm removing myself from it so that it's no longer pinging every moment of the day.
I can't say I was addicted because doesn't it hurt when you give up an addiction? Don't you go through withdrawal? Don't you sweat and miss it?
(Here is a great documentary on Netflix that I had time to watch AFTER I gave up social media for a week called The Social Dilemma . Check it out.)
(Here is a great documentary on Netflix that I had time to watch AFTER I gave up social media for a week called The Social Dilemma . Check it out.)
Well so far, these days without it have been fantastic. I've read several books, listened to podcasts, danced to my newly created playlists, written, rewritten and blogged and just slept better and been alive and aware.
One of the podcasts I listened to was Glennon Doyle (who also has a wonderful talk on Oprah Winfrey's Super Soul Series about rising out of pain--see below) and the takeaway I got was to feel everything. And you can't feel everything if you're constantly bombarded with interruptions to the things you're supposed to feel but also that "fine" should not be our default feeling. We should aim to feel what's real and that may not be fine but it's human and it's our experience.
How can a person write about what's real, get inside of the heart and soul of the emotions of a character if their own emotions are numbed by the constant pinging of their mobile phone?
Of course, none of that inspired my own decision to go off social media. I'd already decided to take control of things in that manner and had two weeks, a delicious sample, of social free life when we were forced into shutdown and all things were off. And I'm grateful for it. Through social media, I was able to observe all the exquisite behaviours of people as they navigated their new reality, from those who thought that somebody should fix the entire thing asap to those who used their giving spirit as excuses to be out and about which wasn't as noble as it might have seemed at first glance. Great fodder for a writer!
Now though, I'm back out. Thursdays only with a nice scheduler to keep me in line. I still want to participate but on my own time and in my own way.
And also, this is the last you'll hear about this choice. Because there are bigger, better, badder, beautifuller...well you know what I mean, things to talk about.
Like how are you feeling? And if the answer is "fine" then what are you going to do to fix that?
One of the podcasts I listened to was Glennon Doyle (who also has a wonderful talk on Oprah Winfrey's Super Soul Series about rising out of pain--see below) and the takeaway I got was to feel everything. And you can't feel everything if you're constantly bombarded with interruptions to the things you're supposed to feel but also that "fine" should not be our default feeling. We should aim to feel what's real and that may not be fine but it's human and it's our experience.
How can a person write about what's real, get inside of the heart and soul of the emotions of a character if their own emotions are numbed by the constant pinging of their mobile phone?
Of course, none of that inspired my own decision to go off social media. I'd already decided to take control of things in that manner and had two weeks, a delicious sample, of social free life when we were forced into shutdown and all things were off. And I'm grateful for it. Through social media, I was able to observe all the exquisite behaviours of people as they navigated their new reality, from those who thought that somebody should fix the entire thing asap to those who used their giving spirit as excuses to be out and about which wasn't as noble as it might have seemed at first glance. Great fodder for a writer!
Now though, I'm back out. Thursdays only with a nice scheduler to keep me in line. I still want to participate but on my own time and in my own way.
And also, this is the last you'll hear about this choice. Because there are bigger, better, badder, beautifuller...well you know what I mean, things to talk about.
Like how are you feeling? And if the answer is "fine" then what are you going to do to fix that?
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