Yesterday I was thinking a lot about Facebook and how, ever since I watched that Tristan Harris documentary, The Social Dilemma, I have been really wanting to be done with it.
Every time I open the app I feel like I’m stepping into a sandbox in Chernobyl: a toxic, radioactive playground. A place I know I shouldn’t be.
I try to get in and out of there as quickly as possible so as not to be contaminated.
I’ve been limiting myself to one check-in per day, no more than five minutes, just to say happy birthday and congratulations on your new baby.
I never Like anything political (god forbid) or even “thumbs up” a cause I might ethically align with.
I do advertise my weekly Zoom class there, but only because I know lots of people who subscribe to my classes will see it if I do.
But yesterday I had to face the truth that, had I not seen that link that someone I know posted, I would never have gotten my Covid vaccine appointment.
G has been trying every imaginable portal for weeks, and at all hours of the day and night, with no luck.
Meanwhile, I keep seeing selfies of people I know with their shot verification cards.
Dammit! How the hell are they getting in???
I didn’t have much hope for this new link, but, lo an behold, it worked! It freakin’ worked! And I got an appointment for Ira, too! And sent the link on to other people who might need it who aren’t on FB.
So now I’m feeling a little softer towards Facebook.
I feel like FB might have a purpose. It’s a limited purpose, for sure, but I have to admit there are times when it can really help me, when it can really meet my need for information and connection.
So, I will continue to breeze through it, albeit briefly, everyday.
The snow yesterday was fluffy. There was no wind. And it wasn’t that cold, so after G did our snow blowing as well as for our neighbors, we took the dog and the XC skis and drove to the first gate of the Hike and Bike and had our first ski of the season.
The snow dump we had last month, or whenever it was, who can remember? was too deep to ski in. It was more of a snowshoe kind of snow.
This was perfect for XC.
I am happy January is over. I am happy it’s Ground Hog day. It’s snowy. It’s cold. It’s still dark in the morning (but lighter in the evening) but I got a shot appointment. It feels like maybe (nothwithstanding vaccine resistant variants) we might be seeing daylight on this pandemic. Maybe. Hopefully.
Other random joys:
1. My White Flower Farm amaryllis have been over-performing since December. They are ebullient! They are festive! In the dungeon of winter, they bloom! Every morning when I check on them they smile and glow as if to say, “It’s time to Party!”
2. I follow Ester Perel on Instagram and she had this wonderful post about eroticism that I totally resonated with. She talks about eroticism not as a purely sexual thing, but as a life vitality thing. She talks about how in the proces of flattening the curve, we’ve flattened ourselves.
Even though she reminded me of the draggy flatness I can’t seem to shake, it cheered me just knowing I wasn’t the only one.
We get by.
With a little help from our friends. And our flowers.
Inspiration Location 