"I loved the story you did on our bus trip to Shipshewana," she said. "We all looked so cute."
Yes!!! They did look cute. And we did have a good time, after the monsoon passed by.
But.....what??? The neighbors are reading my blog??? I know that neighbor Betty reads also but what this means is that the party's over. If the neighbors are reading then I must behave myself.
Darn.
No more posting my photoshop facelift self portraits.
They can call me out and say, "You don't look like that."
No, I don't. Truth is I look old and tired. But, in my defense, that's not how I feel inside. I don't feel old and tired, I feel joyful and young. The photoshop facelift face more accurately reflects what's going on inside,
Which brings me to the subject of anonymity in the blogosphere. I don't believe it's a good thing to purposely mislead people but there is a place for allowing people to create their own reality. You'll understand what I mean when you go back and read about my friend Dicken.
BLUE PAINT AND MOONLIGHT
I was reading some blog entries of my friend Jesse White Crow in which he was telling a story about one of his pen pals that he'd made through the internet while on his trek across America. I recognized something in his words that I'd seen before and knew what he couldn't have known.... that his pen pal friend who'd regaled him with tales of adventures was probably bedridden. Later, he was stunned to learn of her death and that yes, she was very, very ill when she was taking her flights of fancy, if only in her head.
So yes, the anonymity can allow us to alter the harsh realities of our life. Is it untruthful? Maybe. But it's kind.
5 comments:
There are many different realities and all are dependent upon perspective. I once posted one of those "5 Things" deals on Facebook, five favorite toys from childhood or something. I think I chose rocks, sticks, flowers, leaves, and seeds/pods. A friend from high school left a sympathetic comment saying she knew it was rough for me, but she didn't know how rough. What?!? I mean, we were fairly poor when I was growing up, but rich compared to third world poor. Besides, it wasn't that I didn't have store bought toys, it's just that my favorite toys were things from nature and which allowed me to use my imagination. I think in that way I was very rich as a child. I often feel sorry for children who only know the TV, X-box, Wii, iPod, and cell phone. How different my life would have been if these were my favorite toys! Even though we are more financially secure and my children have some of these things, I try to make sure they have plenty of the other as well. Just one example of how perspective determines your reality. Perhaps White Crow's pen pal's reality was different from other people's perception of it. We must be careful in declaring what is truth or fiction for someone else.
Can't comment today, Suzanne...two comments eaten!
This post hits SO close to home today. It's chilling.
it is disconcerting when the 'real'
people in our lives cross over into
these 'avatar' ones.
my friends say that i am much more
transparent than my usually reticent
self.
"well, of course, it feels so anonymous."
"but, we read you, too." gulp
Trying again because it's so much later in the day and the gremlins must've moved on or so I'm hoping.
As you know, I have adored what I believed to be "my little home away from home." When people found me or, even worse, when I couldn't keep my mouth shut and had to crow or, even worse, John had to, I was annoyed. I truly wanted to be left alone. Now when JP calls, she chats right along as if she knows what's happening because she. does. know. what's. happening. Hope that your friends will allow you poetic license.
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