Monday, January 9, 2012

Facebook Timeline and Seasons of Life

By now, I’m sure you’ve heard of Facebook and The Timeline, also known as the thing that freaked me out and almost made me want to cancel my Facebook account. Almost.

Since joining Facebook in 2004 (back when it was called "The Facebook"), I’ve posted almost every… single… micro-thought... that I’ve had as a status update. Well, maybe not every micro thought. But enough for me to freak out a little bit over making the big switch to The Timeline. So before I made the switch, I went back through my Timeline to delete and/or hide things that I did not want to remember, let alone want other people to see. My girl from college, L even threatened to “delete everything from 2004 – 2009.” As she said, "some things should just not be seen."

In case you didn’t know, Facebook Timeline dates back to when you first joined the social network and puts everything out there. Nothing's off limits -- drunken nights with friends in college; my two ex boyfriends (before Aiden’s other parent existed) who posted on my wall almost everyday (I deleted many of those posts once I made the switch); pictures with the kissy faces (like my good friend from college T, said, “why didn’t we just smile in those pics?!") – EVERYTHING!

Then there were the status updates. Some are from good days and some are from not-so-good days. Good months and not-so-good months. An overall good year and an overall not-so-good year. 2005 and 2006 were really good years on Facebook. 2007 and 2008, eh, not so much. I graduated, entered the real world, and had a baby. Unexpectedly. Needless to say, lots of ups and downs occurred in 2007 and 2008.

And I can’t forget the funny quotes from Aiden in 2009-2011, which I’ve been meaning to compile into a book of sorts (something else to add to my 2012 to-do list). My favorite? “Mommy, the wind is pushing me. The wind is not being nice.” Cuteness.


While I didn’t freak out about The Timeline as much as I thought I would have (guess I finally put my big girl pants on, as per my post about Facebook this time last year... what a difference a year makes), The Timeline has taught me at least two things about life:

(1) It is perfectly okay to be who you are and say what you feel. Embrace it because that’s what makes you you.
Looking back at my pictures, status updates, and things that friends have posted to my wall, I know that I’m allowed to be just… me. I’m allowed to act like myself. Act like a 21-year-old who's attending a university that's very intense and replete with people who work hard and play harder. Act like a scared 22-year-old who's about to graduate college and try to "make it" in this world. Act like a 25-year-old who's trying to find her way in the world with a baby in tow. Act like a 27-year-old single mom.

(2) Life really is all about seasons. 
And there really is a time for everything. A time to laugh. A time to cry. A time for taking drunken pictures with kissy faces. A time for being a mature grown-up in the professional world. A time for being all boo'ed up. A time for being single. A time for giving life. A time where significant life changes warrant alone time (I pretty much disappeared from the Facebook world when I found out I was pregnant and a few months following Aiden's birth). A time for mourning the loss of past friendships and relationships. A time for new beginnings. A time for moving on. A time for growth and growing pains and growing up.

The key is to embrace each of these moments and cherish each of these seasons. When we're right in the thick of it, we can't see it, but they are fleeting moments. They come and go quite quickly. And if we're not careful, we'll miss out on the lesson that we're supposed to learn from them. Or the thing we're supposed to take away from them.

Remember, "happiness is a journey, not a destination..."

How are you embracing the different seasons in your life?

{By the way, if you're not apart of the Mommy Delicious Facebook page, you should jump all over that! It's where all the cool kids are hanging out.}

15 comments:

  1. My blog is not on Facebook but I do have friends with a facebook page. I agree; there is indeed a season for everything in this sweet, dear life. Embracing the moments and seasons is the be all and end all of it. Happy Monday.

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  2. I'm just taking life as it comes and trying to enjoy as much of my time with Mia as I can, especially right now. She's an amazing human being.

    PS - I love the timeline feature on FB. I just went back this weekend and looked at 2009, when I was pregnant. Interesting to see those moments.

    Have a great week!

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  3. I love the new Timeline feature. It's great to be able to go back to funny comments and relive past memories.

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  4. I have to laugh at myself when I look through my Timeline and realize how cheesy I was when I first discovered Facebook. Thankfully I was not too bad so I figured I would just leave everything as is. I won't say I have not removed certain things though :-)

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  5. I love timeline but I know we are going to hear folks complaining about it in 3-2-1...

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  6. Great post! I am so happy I am passed certain seasons in my life - seasons I never want to revisit through timeline or otherwise lol. Now that I am entering a profession where professionalism is demanded I decided to delete my old FB. To start afresh and anew. One that more reflects the woman I am now.

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  7. I've seen the timeline on my friends' accounts and it made me want to have on of my own. On the other hand I recently saw a news item about the Facebook timeline, saying the timeline makes it harder to manage your privacy. And privacy already is an almost non-existing thing on Facebook. Given the latter, I probably won't be making a Facebook timeline for a while.

    Probably until I feel like spending hours going over the past deleting what I now find embarrassing.

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  8. I haven't made the switch to the timeline yet. Not sure my brain can handle it right now. I LOVE "Mommy, the wind is pushing me. The wind is not being nice." Classic!

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  9. I hate the new timeline..it's too much information..sigh.. FB is taking over my life!

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  10. I was probably the last one to join FB. I was a bit nervous about cyberspace, so my timeline probably won't show that much information.

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  11. I have a fb account but not really use it that much! All the new stuff I really don't pay attention!

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  12. Oh goodness, I haven't used my personal profile on FB in so long. I wish i didnt need it at all, but i've gotta use it to run my business page. I feel you on reflecting back and cringing at some of the things we've said. But you're right, it's a part of our history and really does make us who we are.

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  13. I was clueless about the Timeline. But you're right about life being like seasons and we should learn from all of our experiences.

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  14. I was a bit freaked out by the change as well. Then as I went back I was able to see some changes for the good in my life. I like to see the documentation of my growth and my pregnancy and a bunch of other random foolishness.

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  15. I made the change the other day and became scared soon after the transformation. LOL's. Today, I'm okay, I think, with the changes.

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