By Yvette Manes of AquaSeventy6
If you are on Facebook, you probably get that little daily notification reminding you of things you said, did, shared and uploaded on this day each year. Every morning, my feelings about this feature range from nostalgia to utter mortification. It is as though each day Facebook discloses passages from a journal that I wrote prior to being struck with a rare form of internet amnesia.
The following is a sampling of my Facebook-induced emotions on any given day:
Sad that my kids are so grown up. In the almost nine years that I have been on Facebook, I have uploaded photos ranging from a kindergarten Grandparent’s Day Celebration to a 10th grade Robotics Club Competition. My kids have gone from losing their first tooth to taking off their braces. One day Facebook will show me a photo of my son learning to ride a bike, and the next day he is holding up his driver’s permit.
Surprised at how much I have aged, too. Facebook proves to me daily that there was once a time when I didn’t have crow’s feet. On the other hand, the ad for Botox on the same page leads me to believe it may be possible to look that way again.
Hurt at revisiting a strained or broken relationship. It isn’t uncommon to make or break friendships in a span of nine years. Unfortunately, if you haven’t deleted the photos or status updates referring to your time together, Facebook will send you a daily recap of the long-forgotten adventures with your former buddy. It takes so much time to move beyond the pain, and with one little blurb it is all dredged back up to the surface.
Nostalgia when reminded of a great friendship that is no longer at arm’s reach. Every time I see photos with a relative’s ex, their divorce breaks my heart all over again. I get the same feeling when an old status update pops up tagging me at my local nail salon or breakfast place with a close friend who has since moved far away. While I am still friends with these ladies, circumstances have changed the dynamics of our relationship. I can’t help but to wish that things were again as they once were.
Mortification at my repetitive and banal early status updates. I spent my first 2 years on Facebook complaining about the amount of housework I had to do on any given day. My morning status updates consisted of a ridiculously long to-do list, which always included sweeping, mopping, and laundry. In the evening, I usually wrote out all that I had accomplished throughout the day. Let’s remember that social media was in its infant stages and Twitter didn’t exist. There was no “rule book,” and Facebook was always demanding to know what was on my mind. Naturally, I assumed it was my duty to give my 72 friends a play-by-play of my day. But if I am being truly honest, I think I just wanted everyone to know that even though I was a stay-at-home mom, I wasn’t sitting in front of my computer eating bonbons all day.
Confused at old comments from complete strangers. It takes me awhile, but eventually I put two and two together and remember that the person who posted to my wall on this day 7 years ago was my cousin’s plus 1 at a wedding. Occasionally, it is a parent of one of my children’s former classmates or a friend of a friend whom I met once at a candle party. Today, I am a little pickier as to whose friend requests I accept.
Wondering who wrote some of the ghost comments, and what they had to say. Facebook still shows the number of original comments to an old post, but when someone deactivates his or her account, those comments go dormant and disappear.
Shock that after all of these years, although a lot has changed, so much has stayed the same. I still have to sweep and mop every day, and my hamper is always full. I still wait in car loop, hate early alarms and when my kids have too much homework. But now, the time I used to spend crafting a cleverly worded Facebook rant is now dedicated to writing essays, pitching ideas, and networking. I will, however, still post the occasional ranty update and a photo here and there, lest my “On This Day” notifications become stagnant, and we can’t have that now, can we?
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About Yvette Manes
Yvette Manes is a freelance writer, audiobook & podcast enthusiast, compulsive redecorator & cheapskate fashionista. The proud Florida native is a blogger at AquaSeventy6 and has the reputation of being kinda crafty. You can also find her work on Club Mid, Scary Mommy, BonBon Break, Parent.Co., Her View From Home, and in the Notes app on her iPhone. When she’s not embarrassing her two teenagers by booty dancing in public, she’s eating her way around town with her husband of 17 years. Find her on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.