Yes, I spend a lot of time reading – even when I go to the beach

Life has been a little different these days. I spend most of my work day trying to discern patterns of one sort or another in the data we gather on students and classes. I have a HUGE office, of which I use maybe a little more than half of it. I never had anywhere to hold meetings with students when I was teaching. Now I have an office large enough to add another person with no problem. Yes, I traded a three mile drive for one close to fifty miles. Both of those measurements are one-way directions. But I have health care benefits for the first time in my life since 2006. I am capable of paying off my bills now, and getting a full cart of groceries — rather than trying to decide between eating, and paying a few of the bills. I am even planning a trip to Scotland and England for next year. Yes, life has changed a lot for me.

And life continues to change in other areas. Some of you may be reading this from a link you found on my Facebook page to WordPress. However, you have likely found that I am not posting that much on Facebook, and have removed all of my photos from there. Yes, I am placing Facebook in the corner. I have seen very little benefit from it since I joined back in 2009. For the most part, I am playing games, or reading meme after meme. or there is the bashing of some politician, some political figure, some religious figure, some belief system, or some sports figure….or something else along those lines. And when someone voices a differing perspective, they get denigrated for it.  Frankly, I have had my fill. However, I am not going to move along….I’m just not going to make Facebook into my priority Social Media location. Instead, I will split my time between Google-Plus, where my posts will be more public and closer to just talking about my daily life, and Ello, where my posts will be a little more introspective and “quieter”. I’ll still have the Facebook presence, just not as utilized as before.

I have only just started this yesterday (Friday), but already I have seen benefits from it. I spend far less time hunched over my keyboard – which I also blame for a lot of my shoulder and neck issues. I spend more time doing other things around the house – and reading. Gods, I have missed reading. Now that I am not spending tons of time on Facebook, I can pour that free-time into other things that have more meaning in my life. Like my Druidry studies. Reading. Spending time with friends. And sleeping.

Now, I hear folks saying – “why didn’t you just stop spending so much time on Facebook?” I imagine that these would be the same folks who would look at my cross-eyed when I noted that after stopping my soda drinking, I started to feel “normal”. “Just stop doing that stuff.” Its easy to talk about.  Its also easy for some folks to do. For others, such as myself, its hard.  Particularly, when you start associating comfort and necessity with those activities. And that was precisely what I have been doing.

I am under no illusion that completely quitting both will not happen. Soft drinks are everywhere, including work. I am having to educate co-workers on the point that not everyone wants to drink soft drinks. That – perhaps – bottled water would be a better option for many folks there. And with something that seems like 99.99% of the planet seemingly on Facebook…its hard to completely quit when there are so many folks I know there – and in some instances, ONLY there. Thus the reason that I am not simply deleting my account.

Nor am I advocating that you – the individual reading this – should do the same thing. This is my choice – it might not be the right choice for you. For whatever reason. That matters not to me. I am not here to look down on you for choosing to use something that I am beginning to move away from. In my opinion, that would be the wrong thing to do. Your choices are right for you at whatever moment that you make them. Just don’t snub me because of the choices that I make.

Anyways, for those trying to find me:

Google-Plus:  https://plus.google.com/u/0/110049757322376115517/posts

Twitter:  https://twitter.com/t_elfster

Ello:  https://ello.co/tommyelf