Facebook Timeline and Seasons of Life

By now, I’m sure you’ve heard of Facebook and The Timeline, also known as the thing that freaked me out and almost made me want to cancel my Facebook account. Almost.

Since joining Facebook in 2004 (back when it was called "The Facebook"), I’ve posted almost every… single… micro-thought... that I’ve had as a status update. Well, maybe not every micro thought. But enough for me to freak out a little bit over making the big switch to The Timeline. So before I made the switch, I went back through my Timeline to delete and/or hide things that I did not want to remember, let alone want other people to see. My girl from college, L even threatened to “delete everything from 2004 – 2009.” As she said, "some things should just not be seen."

In case you didn’t know, Facebook Timeline dates back to when you first joined the social network and puts everything out there. Nothing's off limits -- drunken nights with friends in college; my two ex boyfriends (before Aiden’s other parent existed) who posted on my wall almost everyday (I deleted many of those posts once I made the switch); pictures with the kissy faces (like my good friend from college T, said, “why didn’t we just smile in those pics?!") – EVERYTHING!

Then there were the status updates. Some are from good days and some are from not-so-good days. Good months and not-so-good months. An overall good year and an overall not-so-good year. 2005 and 2006 were really good years on Facebook. 2007 and 2008, eh, not so much. I graduated, entered the real world, and had a baby. Unexpectedly. Needless to say, lots of ups and downs occurred in 2007 and 2008.

And I can’t forget the funny quotes from Aiden in 2009-2011, which I’ve been meaning to compile into a book of sorts (something else to add to my 2012 to-do list). My favorite? “Mommy, the wind is pushing me. The wind is not being nice.” Cuteness.

While I didn’t freak out about The Timeline as much as I thought I would have (guess I finally put my big girl pants on, as per my post about Facebook this time last year... what a difference a year makes), The Timeline has taught me at least two things about life:

(1) It is perfectly okay to be who you are and say what you feel. Embrace it because that’s what makes you you.

Looking back at my pictures, status updates, and things that friends have posted to my wall, I know that I’m allowed to be just… me. I’m allowed to act like myself. Act like a 21-year-old who's attending a university that's very intense and replete with people who work hard and play harder. Act like a scared 22-year-old who's about to graduate college and try to "make it" in this world. Act like a 25-year-old who's trying to find her way in the world with a baby in tow. Act like a 27-year-old single mom.

(2) Life really is all about seasons. 

And there really is a time for everything. A time to laugh. A time to cry. A time for taking drunken pictures with kissy faces. A time for being a mature grown-up in the professional world. A time for being all boo'ed up. A time for being single. A time for giving life. A time where significant life changes warrant alone time (I pretty much disappeared from the Facebook world when I found out I was pregnant and a few months following Aiden's birth). A time for mourning the loss of past friendships and relationships. A time for new beginnings. A time for moving on. A time for growth and growing pains and growing up.

The key is to embrace each of these moments and cherish each of these seasons. When we're right in the thick of it, we can't see it, but they are fleeting moments. They come and go quite quickly. And if we're not careful, we'll miss out on the lesson that we're supposed to learn from them. Or the thing we're supposed to take away from them.

Remember, "happiness is a journey, not a destination..."

How are you embracing the different seasons in your life?

{By the way, if you're not apart of the Mommy Delicious Facebook page, you should jump all over that! It's where all the cool kids are hanging out.}