I blame Facebook— Facebook and human nature, but mainly Facebook.
It’s hard enough not to stalk your ex-boyfriend (which is why I un-friended mine minutes after we broke up). But resisting the urge to stalk other people? It’s impossible.
Stalking isn’t the right word though.
I’m talking about comparing.
I’m talking about going through your news feed each morning and thinking to yourself “Am I the only person left in the world who isn’t married? The only person left in the world who doesn’t have a baby?”
I do this a lot. And I don’t even realize I’m doing it.
The weird part is that I don’t even want a baby. I don’t even like babies. Toddles yes, but babies no. And yet I’ll sit there scrolling through photo albums of people I was never even real friends with in the first place wondering what is wrong with me, wondering why my “life” hasn’t “started” yet.
Because that’s healthy.
I finally realized something though.
Several somethings, actually.
Firstly, my life has started.
Secondly, none of my actual friends have babies. And of the friends I actually interact with on a regular basis (as in outside of Facebook), only two are married and one of those two is headed for a divorce.
So maybe, just maybe, I’m not “behind.”
Maybe I’m right where I need to be.
(And lest I fall back into old habits, I spent 4 hours “unfollowing” all but 3 dozen of my 700-something Facebook “friends” last night. It was the best “spring” cleaning I’ve ever done.)
