Secrets Suck... Live open!

I've noticed a distinct social networking site backlash in the last month that seems to be growing. My father recently begged of me and my sister, "Why don't you like secrets?" Which cracked me up a bit, because what he was really trying to say was, "Why on earth do you kids keep telling the world your business?" The other night, a friend, in his own words, was "paranoid" about a recent photo post I had made that could possibly be taken out of context. My sister was slightly annoyed that her dog got put out on front street for some bad behavior. And, you know what, they may be right, for God sakes - mostly.

I had recently posted a photo of my son in my sister's dog's cage, which I thought was hysterical, because he had put himself in there and closed the door behind himself. Once I had posted the photos, I actually had a moment where I thought, "Good God, did I just do that? What will people think?" Then I quickly got over myself with a horrible flashback of my parent's own photo albums of me frolicking nakey in the bathtub with my tickle-biddies exposed. Now, that photo album has been seen by just about everyone who was handed the dreaded collage (friends, family, boyfriend (now husband), his family, his friends, bosses, etc.). Do people think my parent's are pedophiles? Heck no! Matter of fact, their parents will share the same embarrassing photos with me. Sigh! Wow, I never knew Lil Bob dressed up as Wonder Woman that Halloween, explains a lot.

Now, when I log onto my FB page, I am bombarded by how everyone is feeling and their own personal thoughts on whatever is happening in the world. Sometimes their thoughts mirror my own and sometimes they don't and I move on. But I can tell you, I've learned more about my family in the last year and a half then I have in freaking 32 years of my life going to their houses for visits. I feel like I know when kids are being born, people are getting engaged or married (wondering maybe why I wasn't invited?), the death of a loved one, someone falling ill, etc. Heck, I have kindled a friendship with family clear across the U-S-A that a phone would never have done. However, sometimes, there are times you just don't want to know that Uncle So-and-So is currently at the doctor's for a colonoscopy and the scope is in. That's just way too personal. Lord knows, I am a habitual offender (sorry, people). But I do want to know that his test results came back great and maybe off-line I'll check in, if I am so curious.

Nowadays, I think people want to be so open, yet they want absolutely no one knowing about them. It's the classic Go Daddy.com case, they reveal just enough of themselves before they say "Ah, I'm not gonna show ya!" I hate those people. They get you all kinds of emotionally involved and then they tell you nothing when you begin to probe for answers. Damn it, don't hustle me. Either come with it or shaddup!

I'm an open-book, sad to say. Not to say I don't know when to cram my pie-hole shut. But I know when to make an observation or reveal something about myself that I deem funny or just plain wrong (mostly funny). As many of you know, I discuss my Rheumatoid Arthritis openly. Not cause I want you all in my diagnosis, but it is in the hopes that someone, who maybe suffering in silence with their own chronic illness, may feel consolation that if you can have a bad day and freakin' laugh at yourself after you've shed some tears, then the situation ain't so bad. It's not a disaster if your left arm goes dead, you still got the other one - and sometimes maybe not.

My dislike is people who suffer in silence. I can't tell you how many of my family members suffered from pretty hardcore stuff and only when they pass on you learned, "Oh so-and-so had this" or "So-and-so had been ill for so long". Then you feel the proverbial guilt because, dang, I could of helped them through this or hey, wait, I have that illness maybe we can gab about it. So, I feel my daddy's pain about keeping secrets, but I look at it this way, stories have a way of coming out. Whether we cough up the gritty details over Holiday dinners, parties, etc., someone is bound to know about that one-time in the attic with the cigar or that trip to the Foxy Lady that one or more times.

People, here is my advice to you all about these FBs, MSs, Tweets, Linkdins: just keep talking about yourselves and no one else, be real, know your boundaries, keep it kosher (no swearing or get creative with that), block your co-workers, and remember, in a hundred years we'll all be mentally and telepathically connected anyway so nothing will be hidden from anyone. So, enjoy your edited version of the story and stop second guessing yourself. Pray for me, y'all.