Facebook

Last October I officially found out I have Celiac disease. To those who understand the disease the response is undoubtedly, "I'm so sorry." To those who don't understand, the question immediately surfaces, "What is that?" And then the follow-up question, "What is gluten?" Finally we reach the, "Oh, that sucks." Yes, yes it does. But the world has not ended, fortunately.

I want my Facebook page to appeal to the masses that have been forced into close quarters with Celiac. I want stories to be told, trades and secrets to be shared, and humor at our own expense to abound.

The Mother:
The mother that has a child that must now follow a gluten-free diet faithfully. There are 4 other children and a husband that do not have the intolerance but she doesn't want her child to feel ostracized or deprived. Sunday dinner with mashed potatoes and gravy just won't be the same, or can it?

Me:People like me who have lived 20+ years being able to live in Glutopia unscathed. But a sudden turn of events and now they have to be very conscious about what they consume. Going out to eat is a problem because gluten could be hidden anywhere. Shopping is suddenly more expensive. Turning down cookies or cake sometimes calls for an explanation when really all you want to do is eat the flippin' cookie. And then for the cherry on top, moving away to college is uncharted territory. No more surviving on Ramen Noodles or free pizza during Welcome Week. You are supposedly on your own. But not really. 

The Clueless: 
What the heck is Celiac disease?

Your Face Tells All

I am an advocate for face-to-face interaction. Face-to-face interaction for me is like a drug. I come away from the ingestion with a high that slowly wears off. Crazy? Maybe. But truth. I suppose the high comes from the wit my fellow comrades seem to carry and the way they can make me laugh. Or maybe it is the very attractive young man sitting next to me that I know can't come via social media mediums. Maybe it's the intelligent or not-so-intelligent conversation that always seems to ensue among my peers that I delve into head first, reading every facial expression, every hand gesture, just to size up their character, life and passions. 

I thrive on this type of interaction. I do not thrive on Facebook interaction, however. That's why the short article about Facebook making people "sadder" was a piece of work I could say "Amen Hallelujah" to. My Digital Revolution teacher taught about this phenomenon, saying that users' compare their everyday life to someone else's highlight reel. The article agrees and deems this "social comparison." No thanks, not for me. Yes, I have a Facebook account but no, I do not check it regularly. There are highlight reels I am just not interested in seeing and getting worked up over when logically I know my life is full and blessings are abundant just the way it is.

The point is, maybe some die-hard Facebook users would disagree with this article, arguing that they log off Facebook with the same attitude or emotions they did before logging in. Sure, I'll go with it. But when you compare your stable emotions to the high I described earlier, aren't you even a little curious?