Facing it

I’ve gone and done it. I joined Facebook. Around the time my daughter was born in 2005, I became mildly aware of these internet networking sites: MySpace, LinkedIn, Facebook, etc, but I was too tired or too busy to care.

I figured there wouldn’t be anyone out there looking for me and I’m not looking for anybody in particular, so I just let the phenom pass me by.

My only exposure came from my teenage sisters or some random and atrocious media coverage, like the mom who drove her daughter’s enemy to suicide by posting a bogus and malicious MySpace in the victim’s name or the shoot out that resulted when some undesirables crashed a party they learned about on Facebook. Why on earth would I want to mingle with boy-crazed teenagers or expose myself to a bullet brigade? I was content to stay LinkedOUT.

The World Wide Web can be a dangerous place so I’ve remained cautious with my involvement. It took me 2 years to even commit to blogging. But anyway, one of my un-book club members started her “Force Chaundra to Join Facebook” campaign around Christmas and it was clear to me that it wouldn’t cease until I was sworn in as the newest member of the Facebook community.

It’s been four days and I have 38 friends, I’ve seen people I loathed and others I loved, some I figured were lost forever and a few I couldn’t lose if I tried.

I’ve been reminded of how awkward I felt through out high school and how much assurance I gained in college. But ultimately, I’ve just been facing the fact that you can’t go back. I’m reminded to just continue making the most of the here, now and later.