Talking me down from the ledge

Since I turned my back on facebook, several friends and family members have tried to "talk me down from the ledge" as two of them have phrased it. They ask, "Why quit facebook altogether? Why not just moderate your time spent on it? Why is it always all or nothing with you?" Why indeed.

I am an all or nothing guy. I don't know why I am, but it is true. I just don't do things halfway. As a child, I wanted a guinea pig. My brother and I begged our dad to buy us each one and we promised to take good care of them. Our obsession faded quickly and when one day we discovered two cannibalized corpses of baby guinea pigs lying beside the cannibalized corpse of their mother, it became obvious that a profound lack of interest and attention may have contributed to their ultimate demise.

Back in the late '90s, I bought a bass guitar and played it for hours each day until I became pretty good at it. However, I eventually hit a wall where I ceased improving and ceased enjoying playing so I sold the instrument to a buddy and haven't picked one up since (although I have toyed around with a six-string on occasion.)

In 2000, I quit drinking alcohol cold turkey. I went from drinking a 12 pack or so every day to nothing- for two and a half years. However, I did resume my love affair with fermented beverages eventually and have managed to consume a moderate amount per sitting (for the most part) ever since. Maybe I can live in moderation. Maybe it doesn't have to be all or nothing with me. But honestly, I just have no desire to be on facebook anymore.

Please don't take it personally, folks. At the risk of sounding like George Costanza, "It's not you, it's me." I spent so much time on facebook that I ceased deriving enjoyment from it. It became an obsessive habit, probably like smoking is to some people, that just didn't satisfy me anymore. Can smokers continue to smoke "in moderation"? Probably. But should they? Just because you can do something doesn't mean you should, right?

At any rate, I hope my legions of fans understand where I'm coming from and continue to read my blog. I also hope that if you have pictures or stories about your kids or yourself that you feel are worth sharing with your facebook friends, you will feel free to email me those same things any time you care to. In the meantime, rest assured that I am no where near the ledge and I am doing just fine, thank you very much.