Day 133: You are What You Post

It has been said, “you are what you eat.”  Rewrite the phrase: “you are what you __________.”

You are what you read.  Hum, here is another one.

You are what you post on facebook.

At Mass yesterday, Deacon Steve expounded on the Gospel reading about how we need to love and do good things for our enemies.  He discussed what enemy means to him.  The definition he gave is a person or thing that takes away his peace. I liked the definition.  I thought about the things/people that take away my peace.  I am fortunate.  Being retired, I really get to pick and choose who I hang out with.  I consistently hangout with my dear friends Toni, Barb, and Paulette.  Every other week, I get to see Pam.  I am with my husband and daughter all the time.  This is about it.  All of these people are a delight to be around and never are my enemies.  Sure, a teenage daughter can cause a lack of peace, but I signed up for that.  So, how does this relate to being what you post?

The biggest enemy in my life is facebook.  Yes, facebook tries to take away my peace.  Friends and family post negative articles with political agendas.  I try to read the first words of all the posts people put up.  However, over the years, I find that the people who post this negative content, I scroll past.  Now, I am probably being harsh saying they are negative and political like their posts, but aren’t they? If I were to open up a discussion on my beliefs, hoping for an open dialog, they would start talking their negative politics which would sap the peace from me.  I have been tempted to unfriend some of the worst offenders.  But, each of these people have come into my life through the years, and I have fond memories of them.  Also, occasionally, they do other posts that are informative about their lives: pictures of children, grandchildren, and vacations.  I love that part of them.  So, I won't unfriend them, and I will continue to do as Jesus asked, be kind.

Of course, now I think of what I post.  Who am I on facebook?  I am a writer.  I publish my blog posts on facebook.  I am sure this annoys some people.  I bare my soul for all to see.  I try to be entertaining with my short stories.  I update occasionally about what is going on in life.  I am an amateur photographer.  During the non gray months, I post pictures of my garden and the Montana countryside.  I love putting up pictures of my travels.  I don’t do many political posts.  I work hard at being positive and not negative.  Unless you pay close attention, you don’t know what I think of any president.  A clue?  The president is the Commander and Chief of the United States Military.  I may not like the politics of a president, but I respect the office!  No ugly pictures of them on my news feed.

Who am I as a reader?  I am a magical, historical, occasionally romantic, classic, with a little psychologist thrown into the mix.