Facebook

I’m going to rejoin Facebook. It’s a tough decision mostly because I link it directly to The Great Depression of 2009; though Facebook wasn’t the cause, it certainly wasn’t a help, and I’m terrified of restarting anything that reminds me of – and could possibly take me back to - those sucky days. Alas, there are three pregnancies that I know of so far whose progress I’d like to keep a virtual eye on and family members residing overseas, plus I’m feeling emotionally strong and less likely to fall to pieces over other peoples’ dramas...

I’ve thought through a few rules to protect myself from the evil side of Facebook and try to preserve some integrity, such as leaving immediately if I catch myself taking multiple selfies in an effort to produce a decent-looking profile picture, or updating my status in a way that makes people think my life is far more interesting than it actually is. I don’t want Facebook to be the lens through which I view my entire life (“This is such a nice moment. I wonder how to best capture it in words for a status update?”). I don’t want to take the “friend” label too seriously for people I’ve had no contact with for over 10 years. I don’t want to waste my time looking at wedding photos of friends of friends whom I know nothing about except that they look pretty in their dress and I like what they’ve done with the flowers.

Here I go... (Is it a bad sign that I’m so nervous?)

*Holds breath*