Hide and Seek

Just processing through some stuff.  Haven't posted in awhile.....have a lot going on inside and lots of ideas churning in my brains all the time, but not always time to get it all out.  I wonder if I'm the only one who feels the way I do...if you feel like me...will you please tell me?  Was sharing this with a friend earlier...what are your thoughts?

I feel like people "think" they're connected because of social networking like Facebook, and they "think" they're really clued in to what's going on with people, but I think people have a tendency to stuff their real issues deeper inside because of things like Facebook.  Nobody cares to SINCERELY ask how someone is doing on the inside anymore.  On Facebook, you can be whoever you want to be, and say you're having a good day when you're really not.  People like Facebook, because they can HIDE.  People can be envious of your life, your vacations, your beautiful family pictures, your statuses about how great your life and husband (or wife) are, and you might just enjoy thinking that everyone envies you and you have it all together and everything's fine.....but what if it's not?  Who do you tell?  Here you are and you have a million "friends", but you feel lonlier and more disconnected than ever.  I think Facebook's slogan is "stay connected", but social networking actually creates a disconnection because nobody connects face-to-face, knee-to-knee, shoulder-to-shoulder in PERSONAL contact anymore.  Remember when AT&T or Southwestern Bell's slogan used to be "Reach Out and Touch Someone"....talking on the phone made you feel that close.  Nobody talks on the phone anymore.  I think it's made us all more coarse, cold and unfeeling....in a way.  People don't have to ask how you're doing or what you've been up to lately because they already know...they read your status on Facebook.

Please, don't get me wrong.  I have posted about this before.  I do think some social networking is GREAT and has connected people who have been out of touch for forever.  I'm sure we all have family and friends across the miles that you would never otherwise contact were it not for something like Facebook, or your iPhone, or email.  For people who are sharing great news and milestones about weddings, and babies, and life...it's all being shared in a great way.  My grandma and parents don't have Facebook or a computer though, so they are missing out and it becomes even more of a challenge to stay connected "the old-fashioned way".  

We used to go over to my grandma's house EVERY Sunday growing up and have "Sunday Dinner".  It was like Thanksgiving every Sunday.  Food, fun, and football.  Grandma's cooking and the Dallas Cowboys on TV...couldn't get any better than that.  It's been months since I've been over there and we live in the same town...how awful is that?  Things change...I grew up...got married....had kids of my own...my grandpa died...it's not the same now.  Some days I would give anything to be a kid again...playing football in my grandma's backyard with my sisters....climbing in the tree house my grandpa built with the sand pit underneath....swinging on the tire swing....riding our pony "Bucky"...riding our bikes in the neighborhood...swinging on the swingset...my grandma got rid of all that stuff after my grandpa died.  Now there's just a yard and grass.  She used to have one or two dogs outside and now she has one little yippie Yorkie toy inside....very weird.  

I don't like change.  I just feel disconnected.....disconnected from my family and disconnected from my friends.  Do you ever feel that way?