Things I Learned By Staying (More Or Less) Offline

OK, so last week I did an experiment.

After Leigh Ann said she was going to avoid Facebook and Twitter for a week, I decided to see what it would be like if I went back to the old days; the days before blogging and social media. You know, the dark ages. I wondered what it would be like if the only outside contact I had was through e-mail and face-to-face encounters; no status updates, no tweets, no blogging.

You know what I learned? I don't like it.

Oh sure, it's nice to be able to get work done around the house, to read some books and watch some movies. But lets face it, I'm more of a social creature than I thought. And as much as I may lament (usually in my journals) about how people don't know how to talk to eachother anymore, or how we're isolating ourselves through social media and blogging, I have to admit that I enjoy that so-called isolation.

I enjoy being able to tell people exactly what I'm doing and how I'm feeling -- even if they didn't ask. I enjoy giving my opinion on Facebook because I apparently don't express my opinion enough in "real life." Most of all, I enjoy taking a glimpse in to the lives of others because, well, I'm nosy.

Yes, I enjoy meeting face-to-face with friends, but I also enjoy interacting with those I may not meet face-to-face on a daily basis because of busy schedules, distance or both.

The bottom line is, through this experiment, I learned that I need a life.

Boy, do I need a life.