Things...

Sometimes I get irritated when I see other people's blogs.  And picture fb posts. Because I think I am not doing cool things or enough things or smart things. I wonder if my things are worthwhile and I have an urge to invest in things I have had no prior interest in. (some of those things are completely outside of my scope of things - bungee jumping in Africa? c'mon...)Then I think about the things I am doing and wonder if I need to advertise those things or take more pictures of those things.  Mr. Speakman (my high school english teacher) would be very upset with my non-descriptive noun choice. I then resolve to be involved with more things, take more pictures of things and then post those things to my blog and facebook page. I create list of things and action item those things.

breathe.

I need to stop. I realize this is the power of "online social networking." Its this powerful and strange virus that creeps through the computer screen into my mind and wreaks insanity where there was once a nice garden path. Its this en mass/ keep tabs / compare/ all grown up  "show and tell" time.  Maybe your dog, car, house, and collection of toys is bigger then mine...

So, for self-assuring purposes, I am craving listing the things I have been involved in over the last little bit - in no particular order.  Maybe I want to post pictures. Maybe I wont. I dont have an amazing weekly baking habit/hobby to share (but I do bake randomly), I dont travel to exotic places (although the curbside collection party in alexandria could be pretty foreign to a lot of people) and I am not a board member/founder of some non-profit to save the whales, children, bees, birds, whatever ( but, for another week and a half I will remain employed at a non-profit).

But, then I stop and think it over. 

By social networking association, I want to show off my things. I want my things to be better than other peoples things. I have this intense public desire to try and keep up with the Jones's - and as a result feeling insecure about all the things I am involved in. 

Dangerous ground.

So, even if my blog is scattered, my mind is scattered and my writings are inconsistent and littered across my hard drive, bedroom floor, post it notes in my car and audio notes on my cell phone, thats ok.

I am ok. My things are ok. 

In a world where more is more and more is best and there are 500 "jones'" on your social networking site in addition to the actual jones' you live next to - perceived competition and personal actualization strike a disharmonious chord.

What to do? Certainly there is always room to do more in our individual lives.  And a little friendly tab keeping can help the procrastinators and couch potatoes of the world with the little extra umph needed to accomplish those life lists.

After that, lets just rid ourselves of this nouveaux nightmare consisting of minute to minute posts, tweets, blogs and release the leash of technology just a wee bit. Then, I can get back to my things. And stop looking at your recent trip to save the children on the outskirts of the Himalayas - or your most excellent sock collection. 

After all, I have my own bottle collection to add to and then blog about. I'm just sayin'....