We’ve had the conversation by way of messaging at least two times to my recollection. The conversation being one where we try to figure out why we are friends on Facebook. It’s a mystery I have grown to love more and more over the years. One that is too fun to try and solve at this point.
Take this photo in a minute or two. If we're friends you will most likely get the connection. Photo by Bryan Lee
Her status updates and family photos pop up in my news feed. Her and her man own a DeLorean. Last year they did this…
I mean, everything in me wants to be the person in this shot!!! Everything.
They are a couple of movie nerds who seem to grab life by the bones and suck all the marrow out (to misquote a movie quoting a poet that I’d have never heard of without the movie.)
Her name is Audra Haskell and I am convinced that if Beck and I lived on the west coast we would desperately want to hang out with Audra and Erik every week. She’s like a reverse pen pal from childhood. Instead of writing a letter, mailing it off and hoping for a reply later on we never write one another but like and rarely comment on one another’s posts.
So, why on earth would I include this quasi-friend by way of Facebook without memory of how we'd met in the hashtag mutiny against the antisocial behavior on social media?
(Before I answer let me say, “I had a LOT of fun with that last sentence. It’s not a brilliant sentence. It’s probably grammatically incorrect. But, just for me, go back and read it again. But read it loudly without taking a breath in between the words.
The point of this here experience is to share love and appreciation with the people you know. And though I don’t think at this level of Facebook friendship I could give proper love to Audra and her family, I do know I can share my appreciation.
I’m at the point in my social media happenings where I just want good stuff running across my feeds. I don’t need a lot of debates or gripes or arguments. I have a hard time processing the daily blogs and news sources I read. It’s hard to digest all the racism, sexism, ageism and any other ism’s that run rampant online. "Or any -ism for that matter. -Ism's in my opinion are not good. A person should not believe in an -ism, he should believe in himself. (Movie Quote: please god tell me you know the quote.)
Anyway, I’m a socially conscious person and I have difficulty sleeping most nights because of the lack of attempts made to understand the person on the other side of said issue, discussion, plight, whatever. So, when Audra (whom I am certain is also socially concerned with the way things are going in this world) posts a picture of her son and how over the moon she is for him or a photo like this…
Beat that with anything. That's right. You can't.
I just do a little dance in my insides as I celebrate the celebration that is a Facebook friend. Even if it’s one I’ve actually never spoken to. As for figuring out where or when we actually got connected, I don’t care.