I'm not a big "people person", despite what most people might think. I get along with others and enjoy spending time with friends/family/coworkers, but I don't usually get super close to many people. And as I move through schools, jobs, etc., I just don't tend to keep in touch with anyone. It's not that I have a falling out with these people, I just move on and they become part of my past. There are a few exceptions, but not many.
This tendency has been obvious to me for years, and I'm not sure if I would necessarily consider it a fault. I do, however, recognize that there is something pretty cool about long-lasting relationships and I admire people who have friends they've known forever. I also do think a lot about the people who have come and gone in my life, and I wonder what they are doing now. So, after all this time, I've finally decided to join Facebook. In all fairness, I should credit Jersey with pushing me over the edge; she joined and I figured I might as well take the same leap.
In the few days I've been on Facebook, I've had a blast looking though the list of people who have joined my middle school and high school groups (I am having trouble locating a general group for my university). It's so strange that we're all grown up now! I've become "friends" with a a few coworkers and family members, and I've reached out to a couple of people from very different times in my life. It's all a little strange, but I'm having fun with it.
I can also sense lots of my own insecurities as I find names of people I haven't seen in 15-20 years. There are a ton of people I would love to contact, but I worry that I'll be "that person" that causes them to roll their eyes and click "ignore". Or maybe they won't remember me (though I have an unusual name and it probably stands out). Plus, some of them were the popular, pretty ones and I always felt like a bit of an imposter growing up along side them. Still, I am genuinely interested in where their lives have taken them and I may take the chance of sending out these goofy friend invites.
Oh, and then there's the guy I had a crush on when I was 8 and he was 14. He was always super sweet to me, considering that I had to be one hell of an annoyance to a high school kid. Saying hi to him could be hilarious!
For those of you on Facebook, has it been a generally positive experience? Any cool stories about connecting with old friends? If you're not on Facebook, what's stopping you?
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3 comments:
I have a facebook page (friend me!) but I have NO IDEA how to make the thing work.
FB is how i keep up on what's going on with my students' lives. i'd be lost without it.
I got pushed over the edge in December by a cousin. It has been positive for the most part. Some people are no more grown-up than they were in high school, but mostly people are REALLY friendly. The one thing I find amusing (somewhat annoying) is that some just want to see how many "friends" they can accumulate. Those are probably the types you're worried about. They won't ignore you! And some of them will be more friendly than you can imagine! Have fun with it!
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