I joined Facebook on April 17th, 2007.
While at the time it was full of teens and college students…I jumped on board to have some idea of what The Tall Blonde was up to.
She was 14 and to be honest, I don’t think she “asked” if she could have Facebook anymore than she asked if she could have MSN or any of the other accounts she was a member of. Back then…social media was fairly new and parents knew little, if anything, about its existence.
I took to it like a duck to water.
It helped, that I had an IT background and knew my way around a computer…easily picking up new software and quickly getting comfortable as each change rolled out.
My very first post:
(John would be my ex.)
Followed by this…
Confirming how long I’ve been using the ellipsis in my writing as well as how long I’ve battled ants!
What followed were these ones…
A reminder of how in love pathetic I was and how these days, I don’t wait for anyone…nor do I get uptight about spending time doing what I want to do despite the house falling apart around me!
Then, this…
Which, let’s be honest, is probably not something I hope for anymore! 🙂
Today, on the 10th anniversary of Facebook, I headed back in time to see my very first post and the few posts that followed.
I stopped…at this.
Which, to this day, is one of the very worst days of my life!
The status update followed, two days later, with 11 photos…taken on the evening of my Poppy’s funeral…my Nan, so beautiful and vibrant, as we celebrated the life of a man we all adored.
Facebook has been with us for 10 years! For me…seven. To look back…to see the changes since I first started posting my sporadic updates…originally online to “keep an eye” on my daughter as I watched her grow…it’s baffling!
This Christmas we went to visit Nan who, in the seven years since I posted this photo, has drastically changed. Much as she’s different and I hardly recognize the woman she used to be…it’s not just Nan who’s changed. The fact is, I no longer recognize the woman I used to be. The difference, in just seven years, is too enormous to comprehend…on both counts.
Facebook has transformed the way we live our lives. These online diaries capture moments both mundane and life altering. We share our successes and achievements…our disappointments and heartache. We watch as our children grow, as our loved ones age…it’s a reminder of mistakes we’ve made and time that won’t slow down.
On the tenth anniversary of Facebook, I realize that by having an online presence we have the means to see, with our own eyes, things we may not have seen before.
Taking a look back to when I first began using Facebook is a reminder that “life is short”…that we need to embrace every moment and live it to the fullest despite the heartache and disappointments. Change is inevitable. Life keeps moving forward.
And also, there are reminders like this…
A reminder that while my noble beast lays curled up at my side, my wonderful companion, snoring for all she’s worth while I travel back in time…I’m reminded how she was once (wrongly) diagnosed with a heart murmur…and that she’s a full year older than I remembered her to be!
Happy 10th Birthday Facebook! Thanks for being part of my life for the last seven years. For providing a place for this over-sharer to share…for giving me the ability to watch my children grow not only through my eyes, but through theirs and those of their friends…for giving me a chance to stay in touch with family spread across this globe…for reconnecting me with friends I would otherwise not have the same connection with…and for allowing me to see that despite all the heartache…life is truly wonderful.
I have seen this ‘look back’ floating around facebook tonight. I honestly don’t think I am brave enough to do mine – I don’t want to imagine what kind of posts I wrote about when I first got facebook. Leave the past in the past. 😉