Imagine what would have happened if the artist who drew Where’s Waldo? had put just a little more space around Waldo? We would have picked him out immediately, right?
When there is just a little more space around things, they come into view; we can see them. They can move and breathe and make choices.
Today when I opened my email after returning from my evening yoga class, there was an email from Facebook with the subject line: Kathleen, You have notifications pending.
What the…
On Saturday it will be a week since I’ve been on Facebook. I am taking a deliberate break from Facebook, a media fast, if you will. I didn’t announce it, or notify anyone I was doing it, I just stopped going there. That’s my perogative, right? What does Facebook care?
Then the body of the email went on to tell me about all the stuff I have been missing: Friend requests, Notifications, Messages, complete with thumbnail pictures of some of the people I follow.
How did Facebook even know I wasn’t there? I’m more or less a “lurker” there anyway. I spend most of my time “liking” other people’s status updates, or making a little comment here or there. I don’t post photos, I don’t promote this blog, I just read it, like I would read the newspaper: to find out what people are up to, thinking about, obsessing over.
But lately Facebook has been cluttering my consciousness with too much stuff. I was feeling the need for a little space so I could feel articulated, seen, like Waldo might be seen if there was more space around him.
I needed space to just be, without the clutter of other people’s concerns reverberating in my head all day. Is that too much to ask, Facebook?
Why do you need to hunt me down via email? Tell me about all the stuff I’m missing?
I’ll be back, but in my own time and on my own terms. I need time to figure out how to be with you in a way that there is articulated space around me for other things.
I need to find Waldo, and create a little space around him. Some space for a friendship to grow.
Inspiration Location 