Defecting from Facebookland

It's an experiment, people.

Sending my thoughts out into the ether all the time can be lonely. Especially when I turn away from the phone or computer, and there is still no one else in the house.

If I leave Facebook, people will not automatically feel as if they know how I am because I posted.

What if I leave Facebook and see more people I love face-to-face or talk to them on the phone more often? What if I am able to be more authentic in person than I am in front of 450+ people, and that leads to deeper friendships? What if my friends and I had to actively seek each other out? Would we value each other more? Maybe. What if, when I'm having a bad day, I actually pray, or go on a walk, or seek out a real hug, or clean something, or do some yoga instead of check my News Feed?

What if friends from out of town come and go, and I don't get to see them because I missed their post? What if I have built such an encouraging online world that to be separated from it is a loneliness in itself? What if Facebook has become a creative outlet for me, and I write less because I'm not on it? What if people I love deeply are in need and I never find out how to pray or to help because I missed it on Facebook?

It's an experiment.

I plan to be off of Facebook until at least after the elections. I can skip all that political posturing and drama this year, I really can.

In the meantime, I'll miss you. Until you call. Or email. Or meet me for tea.

And so begins the experiment.