For the past few years, I've made it a point to avoid the "social network" sites such as My Space and Facebook. Some of my resistance to joining comes from my early Internet experiences on AOL, the memories of which I would now like to forget. Some of my resistance comes from the memories of my ex-girlfriend, who, when we began dating seriously, insisted I get myself a My Space page, link it to hers, and then proceeded to tell me exactly what she expected to see posted on it. (I deleted it when we broke up.) As a "sales professional" I've been on Linked In for a while; but whenever someone told me to sign up for Facebook (My Space was and is out of the question), I always said no.
About three weeks ago, I joined Facebook. When asked for my education background, I put Highland Hall class of '87. I always considered myself a Highland Hall alumnus, even though I actually graduated from another high school. And, wonder on wonders, there were others whom I knew. And, even more astonishing to me, some of these people actually wanted to know what was going on in my life. So, in the past 24 hours, I have connected with no less then five of my former schoolmates. Some of them might actually be reading this post.
I cut myself off from my past and people from my past for a long time. A lot of it had to do with my feelings of shame and embarrassment. Let's face it - I was a strange kid, and as an adult I was dishonest with many people, some of whom were former schoolmates trying to reach out to me at one point or another. I felt inadequate about what I accomplished in my life, and felt I had to pretend I was someone else; a better, shiner version of myself. It was a lie. I am who I am - and for the most part, I'm OK with the person I've become, flaws, gifts and all. So, to my former schoolmates who are reading this: I'm sorry. I should have been in touch sooner. And I wish I didn't hide myself from you. Forgive me, please. And let's talk.
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