I'm sure I'm not the only one. As we get older things just hit a point where we no longer have the energy to keep up so naturally we start to cull those things that don't really matter to us. It's not that those things don't matter to someone, they're just things that aren't necessary to us personally, in our individual pursuit of happiness.
On top of that natural culling, I think in this day and age we have this completely unrealistic ideal of what we should be able to pay attention to and care about.
How many friends do you have on FB? 150? 200? 500+? Do you have a Twitter, a MS, a Linkden, a blog, a website, an Instagram, a Pinterest, and a Google plus account? Do you track how many people are "following" you?
If on-line social networking didn't exist would those people still be a part of your life?
My bet is no, they would not be. You would not have those people's numbers in your phone or address book. You would not be attending their baby showers or anniversary parties, or even getting invites. You wouldn't feel lost if you couldn't see where their day is taking them... everyday... you wouldn't expend the energy trying to placate or back pat. And it's not an issue of disliking or anything, it's simply a matter of not caring. I'm not saying you wouldn't feel bad should you find out something bad happened, but you also wouldn't feel bad at not being the first to know.
The internet has made us over-think our own importance. I mean, we get bummed if only 20 people tell us Happy Birthday on our time-lines... who fucking cares?! So long as my family and close, personal friends remember, I'm a happy girl. It's nice when others acknowledge it, don't get me wrong, it's sweet, but I don't require them too in order to validate my importance in life. I only NEED to be important to those that are important to me.
I think that this expectation to care is ridiculous; we're a high strung bunch thanks to all this crap. We grew up being told "I Am Somebody!" getting it crammed down our throats with participation trophies for everyone. We're all so damn important... guess what, that's a lie. We're not. We're really not that important. We can make ourselves important, true, and we are naturally important to those that love us, family, our significant others, our children, but everyone else, you have to work for that status. You don't just get it because you use to go to school together, or you have a mutual friend, or you share a common hobby. Nope.
Have I ever mentioned that I SUCK at multitasking? I'm no good. I have to finish one project before I start on a new one. What does this have to do with my current topic? My attention span is limited, it's narrow and focused and I don't have time for distractions. Distractions at this stage of life can mean the difference between accomplishing a lifetime goal and failing miserably. So excuse me if I underestimate my own importance for a while and put on some blinders and focus on the things that really matter in life; my son, my husband, our home, my real friends, and my photography. That's all I have time for.
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