Last Thursday, September 24th , after the implantation of a port and news of another surgery, I was moving in a bit of a fog. I came home to hear that my Facebook persona had been robbed at gunpoint in London and was desperately looking for someone to wire money to me… er… her or him. Fortunately Will’s teacher knew that I was actually in Boston that day. (The experience my Facebook persona had in London had some similarities to my personal experience in Boston that day…) And the other friend in London who had chatted with my Facebook persona thought the cuss words were a little out of the ordinary for me. My Facebook account had been hacked. I’m now deactivated… and that’s OK.
Facebook was great to reconnect and get a quick view into people’s lives, but I rarely tried to communicate with others on it. I’m too wordy for Facebook. Too conversational. I do better on the phone or in person: I need more than typed tweets to "chat." I relentlessly try to read or to guess emotions behind the electronic words – and that’s exhausting. With a voice and a live being, there is far less guessing. So Facebook was a short but fascinating blip.
My Ode to Facebook: I’m republishing here "25 Random Thoughts" I wrote for Facebook before I was diagnosed with breast cancer and well before my Facebook persona was mugged in London.
Written in May or June 2009….
1. I function best on eight hours of sleep and last night I got four hours in; this could make for an interesting list of randomness…
2. I have two sons, both adopted from Korea; I have one husband, an immigrant from Britain; I grew up in Iowa.
3. I am a full-time mother. I don’t stay at home very often.
4. I don’t think I’ll ever be a true soccer mom – much to Will’s chagrin: “No one else’s mom forgets the ball!”
5. We fly Korean, British and American flags at our house.
6. Regardless of major life changes, I relish in the fact that wherever I am, for ease of removal, I can always find the two pickles underneath the top all-beef patty in the Big Mac. Some consistency in life is good.
7. The powerhouse moms in my daily life are truly remarkable: you make me laugh and you keep me sane.
8. I like spontaneity but need it balanced by consistency (see #6).
9. I love hearing Will say, “Mom, you are so funny!” I want to reply, “Am I funnier than Daddy?” but don’t, probably because I know the answer!
10. I love being married to a man with a great sense of humor – OK, after 20 years some of the jokes need a little reworking, but I’ll take him just the way he is!
11. Being a mom to two boys is awesome! We’re into the bug, worm & slug phase, with no fear of picking them up.
12. My first job was pulling volunteer corn out of bean fields.
13. I’ve milked cows by hand and my parents live on a gravel road, and yes, they have plumbing.
14. I get a thrill out of writing. I get a pain out of trying to write to perfection.
15. I find the little things in life to be the most joyful, the most humorous, and the most overlooked.
16. I’ve been lucky to travel a lot in my life; I regret no expense paid for what I’ve seen in the world.
17. I really regret buying the three shirts with tags still attached that have been sitting in my closet for over a month.
18. I do not like returning things I’ve bought nor do I like shopping in general. Artisan shops, book stores and kitchen stores are a different story, especially if lunch with a friend is included.
19. I have the local pediatric hospital programmed as a favorite in our GPS. Liam has always been gutsy and Will is learning from his little brother..
20. Fact: Getting hit in the face with a golf club, twice in one day, does not always cause great injury, as proven by Liam (somewhat new to the game) and Will (the casual observer). Lesson learned: People are pretty resilient.
21. I love to cook but I’m not thrilled about making mac’n’cheese 10 times a week.
22. I feel blessed to have a caring family and to have networks of good friends near and far.
23. I feel blessed to have a dishwasher – even though it is relentless and very needy.
24. Will loves me all the way to “God’s house.” And still wants specifics on exactly WHERE that is.
25. My goal: to live confidently in the here and now; to visit the past only very occasionally; to glance forward to the future in quiet anticipation.
(In real time, I'm back on Facebook! Here's the link: https://www.facebook.com/LindaMalcomWriter/ Click "Like" for current musings!)