It’s 5am…I find myself tossing and turning after a few hours of fitful sleep – I’m sure it has nothing to do with the barista accidentally making the Venti Marble Macchiato I was to share with Chris fully leaded rather than decaf.  I was happy to take the free mistake while Chris was a little smarter and got the corrected decaf version.  Not only had I not had coffee in several days due to a miserable cold…but a Venti, to myself, at 8:30 at night – yikes!   Guess it serves me right that I’m wired and my stomach is a bit irritated with me.  Along with the tossing and turning comes a windfall of random thoughts and ideas that need to escape – lucky you!

As you may (or may not) know, I was a Psych major in college.   I joke that I chose that major because  I discovered I only had to take one math class (much like realizing that we could sleep in confirmed our decision to homeschool  :) )…but truthfully I am fascinated by our brain and human behavior.  This “new” phenomenon of Facebook is truly a treasure to us Psych junkies!   If I ever decide to pursue a Masters I believe my thesis would center around Facebook.  I think there is enough material for even me to write a book behind the psychology of Facebook (and I’m sure nobody has done this yet!)

This beast, Facebook….it has become the bane and the joy of our existence.  It’s an enigma…we love it and we hate it.  We are sucked in – hoping for a connection…a laugh…just any news from our friends.  Heaven forbid if you don’t “do” Facebook!  You are so “out of the loop” if you don’t have a page!  Chris noticed that every movie preview we watched the other night urged us to “become a fan on Facebook!”    Such a strange phenomenon!

One reoccurring theme I have lately stumbled across (and have struggled with a few times myself) is the belief that almost everyone else on our friends lists are always off on exciting adventures, that they actually go out with friends and have fun , and are generally having wonderful, stress-free lives .  There are plenty of pictures and 420 word status updates to prove all this!  Now we all know this isn’t really true…but we can’t shake that gnawing feeling that we are missing out.   That, in many ways, our mundane lives are subpar and inferior to those around us.  We are so busy looking everywhere else that we miss what is really good right in front of us.  It goes back, in some cases, to “the grass is greener…” theory.  But, in reality, we are only seeing snippets of people’s lives.  Yes, once in awhile, a few brave souls venture out to share their pain and struggles.  But sharing that information leaves us vulnerable.  I know it’s hard enough to share my struggles with a few really close friends, let alone hundreds of the amazing people God has put into my life and now I call “friends” on Facebook!  Plus, who really wants to hear me whine and complain (because that is what I would be doing, right?)  Sometime there is humor in our misery that we feel  “safe” to share – those days when people are driving us nuts, we get an obnoxious phone call at work, or we are just so mad that the sarcasm just flies out…these find their way on our pages in hopes to relieve a little stress and maybe even make yourself or someone else laugh.  Every once in awhile, life gets to the point where you really do just need to reach out…and we gently wade into the waters of sharing something a little more intimate…asking for thoughts, prayers, support….but we are oh so cautious and often very vague.   Mostly we want Facebook to be a fun, happy place.  We really do want to see our friends in their adventures, all smiles, and enjoying life.   We find ourselves so conflicted though…so happy for our friends…but walking away from our computers just a little bit sad too.  If only my life was like that….

Remember…these are snippets…glimpses…into a brief moment in a person’s life that are chosen to be shared.   They are shared to show you that life has its joyful moments…relish in them and know that you too, in brief moments, will get to share your joys and celebrations.  Remember also, that when you do, you have other friends struggling through their lives…even though last year they were posting their vacation pictures of their year-long world cruise, new romance, or other amazing adventures.  Hopefully your snippets will remind them that there is a time and season for everything…a time to weep and a time to laugh…and that they will smile in knowing it is your time to laugh.