My FACEBook Sabbatical by Joella Notte

It's time...it's really really time. I have decided to take a 60 day sabbatical from Facebook. Taking this time off to reconnect with what's real in life….Facebook has become a source of distraction, and at times has kept me from doing the things I know are important and keep my soul full.  I know I'm not alone in this and there's others out there but are too ashamed to say it.   It's embarrassing to admit but I think it's going to be really tough.  I'll miss waking up in the morning, checking in on my favourite Facebook friends and reading what's new with them throughout the day.  BUT this is something I've been wanting to do...needing to do, for a very long time now.  Yup, I'll miss sharing my inspirational messages, yummy recipes and videos with those of you who appreciate them.  However, I will still be sharing bits and pieces of my art and life through this blog which will automatically post to my FB page... in case you're interested.

Yes...I'm doing it, I really am doing it. Here’s my picture of proof! My last wall post for the next 60 days, made September 18th!

I have to admit...I'm already feeling a little disconnected.  Seconds before I posted this last post, my heart was pounding with fear and the uneasy thought that I would be forgotten, that my existence was somehow being jeopardised. I know....CRAZY!  But alas, I pushed the POST button and was relieved to find I was still all there, all ten fingers and toes and rather than fear, I felt instantly exhilarated. 

 This is the picture of me after I pressed the POST button.

Hey! Where did that sign come from?

 In my heart I knew this was the brave thing to do, this was what my soul needed. Yes. Deep deep down to the very corners of my soul, it was what I knew I needed.  For a very long time I've been hearing my heart whisper 'you should not be relying on facebook to determine your self worth. It is time for you to look at the world through your eyes'.

“It's not what you look at that matters, it's what you see.” Henry David Thoreau

How did I finally come to this decision?  I had been noticing I didn't have enough hours in the day to do the things or spend the time with people I used to enjoy.  I would procrastinate, thinking I should be doing more exciting worldly things...like my FUN facebook friends.  How embarrassing is that?  I was measuring my life's worth by others posts.  Don't get me wrong, I would love to see Paris and Italy like any other girl but it's not something I need or can do right now, and most of the time I'm OK with that...most of the time!  I was beginning to lose site of the real me, the me who is content to just be, enjoying the simple pleasures in life.

I was beginning to lose myself to the fictional life of facebook, where nothing is as it seems and people post only what they want the world to see, not the real stuff that goes on behind closed doors.  It always makes me sad to see friends who are going through hell in their personal lives, in a twisted kind of way, feel they must post HAPPY HAPPY HAPPY to the world.  There's something wrong with society, when we are taught to think any family having problems or are less than perfect must be disfunctional. But that's an entirely different matter and I'll leave that for someone else to write about. What I'm trying to say is we need to remember we're not getting the whole picture and should never compare our lives to those of our friends or acquaintances on facebook. 

Right Lucy?

 What is this fictional life we live on facebook?  What is the good of it?  Well it has it's perks... like keeping in touch with friends and family from afar.  For me I find it very useful in networking my art and posting the odd inspirational quote...maybe bringing a little sunshine to someones otherwise gloomy day.    

But even though FaceBook has it perks, I still feel the need to take a little needed break.  I long for the simple things, the things I haven't been making enough time for, like quiet intimate conversations with family and friends or sitting on the porch sipping lemonade, watching my gorgeous husband cutting the grass in his goofy hat.  He's gonna kill me when he sees this picture...sorry hubs!

I really need to LIVE a life I can LOVE…the life that was designed for only me. I  have known from a very young age that I was meant to create and make art. I also know in my heart of all hearts that I was designed to love DEEPLY.  I'm meant to live each day with PEACE, JOY, GRATITUDE and BLISS and share as much of it as I can with others.  The essence of my being is happiest when I'm living a quiet, authentic, simple life surrounded by nature and those I love and who love me . How do I know these things?  Because sometimes when I'm feeling lost and confused I get really really quiet and listen to the silence...shutting off all the jib jabber of  my mind.  This is where I find my TRUTH, the honest answers to life's toughest questions...from the centre of my being.

Searching the outside world for answers is like being given three different life manuals, each with very different instructions...can you say CONFUSION?

Here are a few things my HEART has being trying to tell me for so long!

~Stop living the life you think others want you to live~

~Spend more time making art from the heart (haha that rhymes)~

~Reach out and re-connect with family and friends~

~Show your husband how much you cherish him~

~Focus more on your health by practicing meditation and yoga~

~Get off FACEBOOK for awhile and get QUIET in your thoughts~

What will I be doing during my sabbatical from Facebook? 

Nurturing the relationships I hold close to my heart :)  Going for long walks. ART. I have just recently started selling my work at the FLOWER FOREST and would like to do my best to make a go of it. I will also be working on my One Artsy Chick gift card line. I am hoping to share more of myself on this blog.  I will be practicing my yoga and meditation on a regular basis, connecting with my inner truths, finding my peaceful place. filling my mind, body and spirit with yummy and delicious emotional, spiritual and physical nourishment.  I've still got so many broken peaces that need to be healed, the day to day hurts that need forgiveness. I will let myself be sad when I need to and be silly when I want to.  AND all of this will be done with my eyes wide open... when my soul tells me it's the right time.

So my friends, the ones who really love me and can't live without me (big sigh)...please  follow my journey.  I will do my best to write on my blog each week. For those of you who relate and are finding yourselves right where I am today...my hope is that through this experience I can help you in some small way, stop and look around at what's going on in the real world in your real relationships, the ones that really matter and most of all to be GRATEFUL for what you have...EVERY day be grateful.  My biggest wish for myself and you my lovelies is that we make each day count, paying attention to those around us and living what is in our hearts, what is REAL.

  I will miss keeping up with you on Facebook.  Please email or call and if you do happen to post to my wall, your comments will eventually be delivered to me through HTML :) 

Stay True 

xoxox