Tag: Facebook

Frazzled This Friday

~ Lenore Diane ~ Leave a comment

I must tell you, I am frazzled today. Completely frazzled. Too much to do in too little time. Busy, busy, busy. Did I mentioned I am frazzled? How about busy? Anyway … as I walked down the driveway to put a letter in the mailbox, I realized something. Of course, now that I am back inside the house and typing – I forgot what it was I realized. No doubt, the something was earth shattering and life changing.

The letter I put in the mailbox is to one of my sisters from my 5yr. This past weekend, he drew her a picture and sent the picture to her in the mail. She received the picture, and she sent him an email. I printed the email, stuck it in an envelope and put it in the mailbox after the mail had already been dropped. When I brought him home from school, I stopped at the mailbox and pulled out the mail. “Look!” I said to him. “You received a letter!” A smile appeared on his face.

After reading the letter, he immediately went to his work table and started to write another letter to my sister (on the very same letter I printed). With my help, he folded the ‘updated’ letter and got it ready for a new envelope and stamp. The letter is in the mailbox, waiting for the mailman to pick it up and take it to my sister. And, I am certain, when my sister receives her latest letter from my 5yr old, a smile will appear on her face. There is power in cards and letters . . .

:: I interrupt this post to say, “Forgive me please, if you’ve already heard this stuff from me.” As my thoughts fill my head, I am wondering if this is a repeat. I blame my frazzle day for any repetitiveness. I blame feeling frazzled for any redundancy. I blame – well, you get my point. Please, continue …

Last week, a friend of mine went to visit her Mom and Dad. Her Mom is battling cancer. I have been sending my friend a card every single week, letting her know she is in my thoughts and prayers. Knowing she was going out of town for a week, I decided I would send her Mom some cards, too. Then, I decided I would reach out to some “Facebook” friends, and see if I could get them to send my friend and my friend’s Mom some cards. A well-wishes writing campaign, so to speak.

Though I can’t tell you how many people participated, I can tell you my friend and her Mom were overwhelmed with the number of cards they received. My friend and her Mom were quite touched with the outreach. In fact, my friend wrote “My Mom was in awe of your friends and all the cards we received. It was fun … Thank you!”

For me, the best part of that writing campaign was the fact that my Facebook friends participated. Many of the gals I included in my outreach were mainly Facebook friends. What I mean by ‘mainly Facebook friends’ is that I don’t see or talk to these gals on a regular basis. Some of the gals I do not truly know, we simply share some sort of connection – either by school, work or other Facebook friends. Still, many took part in my request to share some positive thoughts with two people who mean so much to me. How cool is that?!

Today’s world is a different world. And, every single generation will say the exact same thing. The world changes and will continue to change. Many changes are for the better, though some changes are for the worse. With each and every change comes responsibility. And perhaps, with the internet, comes a time for greater responsibility. We can use the internet to reach out, lend a hand and show support; or, we can use the internet to spread ridiculous rumors, vicious videos and hurtful hate-speech.

Last week, Facebook served me (and my friends) well, and I am grateful. Maybe you could start a small writing campaign of your own. Regardless of a person’s health, personal cards and personal letters are sure-fire ways to bring a smile to the face of the receiver. A telephone company used to have the slogan, “Reach out and touch someone.” Well, I think it is high time to reach out and touch someone the old fashioned way … snail mail.

A special note of thanks to my Facebook friends for participating in the writing campaign. Mission accomplished.

Itching With Inspiration

~ Lenore Diane ~ 4 Comments

I am itching with inspiration. Itching. And the inspiration comes from an actual itch and Facebook. The itch can be scratched. Facebook? It will be the death of me, if I don’t learn to keep quiet.

I find myself funny; unfortunately, I don’t keep the ‘funny’ to myself. (I don’t keep anything to myself.) Moreover, as I share what I find funny, I soon realize the rest of the world does not see things the way I see things. Amazing. Really, it’s a shame. Poor, poor world. I have a friend that says ‘you might as well laugh as cry’, and I try to remember that sentiment when things get crazy.

Yesterday, I posted what I thought was a funny poem on my Facebook status. “Too much info I sometimes share; here’s an example in case you care, My kid Joe does not have rabies. Nah. Instead this kid has scabies.” Well, the humor in my poem went over like a lead balloon. *THUD* (Actually, my neighbor found it funny, as she literally called me on the phone seconds after I posted the status.)

Other Facebook friends? Not so much. One FB friend, who has a child in my son’s daycare class, proceeded to contact the daycare provider. She was not amused with my mentioning my child and scabies in the same poem. [I admit, ‘scabies’ sounds horrible.] She wanted to request my child not be allowed back into daycare until the scabies was cured. Ok. Fine. I understand her concern. I understand her wanting to protect her child, as well as the other children in the class. But – Charlie was not the one with a rash. In fact, Charlie is rash free.

Again, I understand the Mom’s concern. As a Mom, I experience the same concerns, and I certainly don’t want to expose other little ones to my sick little ones. However, as a Mom of two, my knee-jerk response to illnesses has lessened. Greatly.

When my oldest was a newborn and throughout his first three years, I freaked whenever he was sick and/or was thought to have been exposed to someone else who was sick. I freaked to the point of becoming a freak. (Rumor has it I am still a freak, but for other reasons.) Then, when I had my second child, I found I freaked less. I found juggling childcare and my paid gig was tough, especially when a child was sick and had to stay home. Hmm . . . maybe the kid isn’t sick. Maybe he just has allergies. No fever. He’s fine. Off to daycare you go.

Yes,  juggling work and two kids eased my freaky “Oh my gosh! My kid is sick! Quick! We must go to the Urgent Care Center STAT!” nature. Juggling parenthood and employment eased my freaky “What do you mean he was exposed to chickenpox? What kind of Mom takes their child out in public when they have chickenpox? Argh!” nature. Just like being a Mom of two eased my “He fell! Is he breathing? Is there blood? Do we have to go to the ER?” knee-jerk reaction. Now, if one of my two falls the reaction is more like, “I can’t see any blood from here. Shake it off. Rub it. Move along.”

I admit, my neighbor and I still call each other (immediately) when we fear one of our little ones is battling a scary illnesses or has just experienced a serious bonk of some sort. She and I will talk each other off the ‘freaking out’ ledge.

Back to the rash. I’ve discussed Charlie’s lack of rash, which brings me to Joe. Joe doesn’t have scabies. However, the pediatrician thought it best he (and Charlie) be treated for scabies because our neighbor’s kids had scabies. The rash on Joe’s arm is actually dermatitis, and we are treating it with a steroid cream. Still, last night, we did the scabies treatment, too, which consists of lathering the child in a special cream before bed and washing the cream off in the morning. Treatment also includes washing sheets, towels, etc. Done, done and done. Joe is enjoying a normal day at school, and Charlie is enjoying a not-so-normal day at home.

And Scabies? Yeah, it’s a scary name for a mite that is similar to lice. Scabies mites typically thrive on the body below the neck, whereas lice thrive on the scalp. Scabies is far easier to treat than lice; plus, unless you are sharing a bed or rolling around naked with someone suffering Scabies, Scabies is harder to transmit than lice. You can access the MayoClinc’s website for information about Scabies by clicking here.

I’ll work harder on keeping things to myself, while holding my humor in check. Still, tonight I may have to create a new poem for my FB status; many words rhyme with ‘flu’.

Facebook: My Crazy Starts Here

~ Lenore Diane ~ Leave a comment

Before you read any further, please note: I over-think things.

How is this for crazy: Facebook feeds my curiosity, egotism and paranoia, while simultaneously leaving me feeling bored. Though I log on to Facebook daily, I find my interest waning. The lure of this social network is losing its luster. I long for the days of handwritten notes, direct emails and instant messages. I long for the days of actual friendships, not virtual ones. And yet, through the waned interest and lost luster, I continue my Facebook feeding frenzy.

Curiosity. I enjoy looking at pictures on Facebook, especially recent pictures taken while my friends, family and relatives were enjoying the summer in Amherst Shore, Nova Scotia. [Hurry up, Ms. Jill! I’m waiting!!]  And, I enjoy keeping up with relatives and friends living out of town. Facebook makes it easy to stay in touch with a friend, who’s Mom is battling cancer. I try to make her smile each and every day, by stopping by her ‘Wall’. One day, I’ll actually show up on her doorstep. She knows this, too.

I became addicted to Facebook the instant I joined. Logging in to see who was online, what was taking place in the lives of others, who said what to whom, etc. I became so addicted, I would snap at the kids and Rob, if they interrupted me. So, in an effort to save my family (and myself), I actually had to cut the Facebook-cord for several months. However, with my family’s permission, support groups, and threads, I was able to reactivate my account and step back into the Facebook zone safely. Hmm… I started eating ice cream on a regular basis after dropping Facebook the first time. Could it be? Did I replace my Facebook addiction with ice cream? Dun dun duuun! I digress.

Curiousity and Egotism. I seem to spend more time on Facebook clicking the reload/refresh button to see if anything interesting has been posted on my Wall or included in the News Feed. I’m curious to see if someone responded to my comment about something said by someone else in response to another person’s comment about this, that or the other; or, did someone just “Like” my comment about something said by someone else in response to another person’s comment about this, that or the other? Oh, and here’s an interesting article, I must share; after all, if I find the article interesting I am certain others will find the article interesting, too. Inquiring minds want to know. Right? I must click ‘refresh’ one more time.

I’m genuinely interested in my Facebook friends, but after you’ve said hello, found out how folks are doing and checked out the photos, what more is there? It’s as if Facebook reaches an uncomfortable silence of sorts. The real friends are off interacting in the real world, while the virtual friends are left hitting ‘refresh’ and ‘reload’, looking for interaction and waiting for updates. As I have already admitted, I spend time clicking ‘refresh’ and ‘reload’. And, as I have already noted, I over-think things.

Paranoia. You find yourself chatting with the same group of people over and over again, when suddenly the frequency is reduced. You become concerned that you may have said something to upset someone in the group. However, this is Facebook, and you don’t truly know all of your Facebook friends. What do you do? And, why are you becoming obsessed – yes, obsessed – about people you don’t really know?

You don’t want to risk upsetting the apple cart by unfriending a Facebook friend or two, because that is not proper ‘virtual friend’ etiquette. Then again, you’re not invited to their reindeer games, so why stick around and see the fun that is had while you’re not around? And yet, you find yourself wondering why you aren’t invited to their reindeer games. You begin to feel your friends have excluded you and/or dislike you, but why? Wait. Why even let yourself feel this way when you don’t know the virtual friends of Facebook? Paranoia.

This past weekend, a friend of mine shared how a Facebook friend of hers posted pictures from a trip they had recently taken. The rub? Her Facebook friend was only a few miles away from her house, yet the friend did not stop by or let her know they were in town. Humph. That stings.

Expectations exists within true friendships. Friends expect their friends to be there for them in times of need, celebration, etc. Facebook seems to cloud the meaning of true friendships. Some Facebook users hold their Facebook friends to the same standards they hold their ‘real’ friends. Some Facebook users simply enjoy the ability to be a fly on the wall of their many Facebook friends. And, of course, there are other types of Facebook users who enjoy it for what it is – but what is it? And, what makes Facebook better than handwritten notes, personal emails and instant messages?

I enjoy Facebook. I do. And, there are people I’ve connected with on Facebook that I may never see again in the ‘real’ world, but I enjoy hearing from and seeing them in the virtual world. Plus, if you are having a bad day – just update your status and let folks know. The number of Facebook friends that will visit your Wall and try to lift your mood is an amazing thing to watch and experience. Plus, when it’s your birthday, assuming your birthday is listed on Facebook, your Wall becomes filled with birthday well wishes. My curiosity, egotism, and paranoia will continue to be fed by Facebook, but I think I am overdue for making a greater effort to find sustenance through the real world.