A Sweet Farewell*

Hello again :)

I think this may have been the longest I’ve gone without writing here. I just checked the date of my last post–January 18th. Has it really been three months since I last updated?

A lot has happened in those three months, and I regret not writing down my feelings as we went through it. The biggest change is that I ended up going back to work much earlier than anticipated. As the end of my maternity leave approached at the end of January, I decided to extend my leave by 6 weeks so that I could stay home with the kids a little longer. So, when a job came up at my old school that was supposed to start at the end of March, it seemed like a perfect fit. There’s a bit of back story that I’ll fill in later, but the short version is that I was offered the job with a “small” caveat–the start date was pushed up to January 29th. It’s been a crazy transition, but despite the madness I’m really enjoying being back at work.

I missed teaching, and I’ve really missed writing. Life has been busier than ever for the Hubster and I as we’ve tried to juggle working with time with the kids, ourselves and each other. I feel like my time is so precious now, as I have so little of it that I feel is really “mine”.

And yet I feel like I’m wasting so much of it… on Facebook.

Oh, Facebook. I love it. I really do. I love seeing the status updates, the photos, the funny memes and videos. I love the drama in some of the groups I’m in, and I love all the uplifting messages I see posted there all the time.

I do not love the amount of time I spend trolling through the news feed. And I just. can’t. stop. I’ve tried to cut back or spend less time, but I’m totally an addict. I know that it’s there *waiting* for me, so I creep back on “just for a second”. And then I look at my clock and realize that I’ve spent 30 minutes refreshing my newsfeed just in case someone posts something that I absolutely cannot miss.

(Yes, I’ve become that person. *sigh*)

A little while ago a friend of mine let me know that she no longer used Facebook, and shortly after that she told me she had basically gotten rid of all her social media accounts. I obviously looked at her like she had grown a second head and puzzled over why someone would want to disconnect like that.

And then… the more that I puzzled, the more it appealed to me. I waste so much time, and I have so little time to waste. I have this beautiful blog that I’ve spent years building that sits neglected because the time I could be spending writing and creating is wasted watching videos and reading status updates. I can still share recipes and stories here, and I’ve decided to keep my Instagram account because I love sharing photos.

Somehow Facebook has become the first thing I check on my phone in the morning, and I feel like I’m constantly on it throughout the day. And let’s be honest… most of the time I feel like I’m creeping on people I haven’t spoken to in real life in years. I feel like I’ve been using it a shield to keep tabs on people from a distance instead of actually, truly communicating with my wonderful family and friends.

I’ve been thinking about it for several weeks, and when I woke up this morning, I decided that today was the day. Part of me is freaking out a little (I’m going to miss EVERYTHING. AH.) but mostly I’m excited. It feels strangely liberating.

So, this is it. From here on out, all my updates, stories, Paleo-ish and running adventures will be here and on Instagram. I also love emails and texts, and I am hoping to stay in touch with all of you… just in a different way. :)

Peace out, Facebook.