Facebook: Friend or Foe?  I say this laughingly because for the most part, Facebook has been a friend. Maybe TOO GOOD a friend. I find myself turning to it for breaks throughout the day. I’m retired…why do I need breaks? Because for some reason, retirement didn’t bring much of a slow-down. In fact, I’m so busy all the time, the days get away from me far too quickly. So there’s my excuse for breaks in case you thought I was just a lazy lout.

Back to Facebook. I’m taking a sabbatical starting August 1, 2018. I may miss it too much to stay gone for long, but I’m deleting my account and going cold turkey (I’ve been thinking of maintaining my author page in the last couple of days…haven’t decided yet). I want to see if using my breaks for other activities (such as writing; developing a book marketing plan; finishing numerous other creative projects) will help me actually PRODUCE more. Just so you know, I’ll definitely sign back on when Seven Secrets is launched so I can get the word out. Facebook is one tool I can use in marketing;  I hope my friends have never felt like I was bashing them over the head with it. In the interim, friends can find me here, on Twitter and Instagram. I’ll just maintain those because for some reason, I’m not as likely to spend boatloads of time on those formats, yet I can still stay somewhat connected.

I so love seeing peoples’ pictures of kids, grandkids, vacation spots, awards and achievements…I’ll miss my former students and colleagues. I’ll miss funny videos of dogs doing somersaults. Facebook brings different parts of the world to us.

Facebook also brings bots, hate, rants, pictures of animal abuse, political craziness, TRULY fake news, and a host of other things I just don’t need in my life. I have come to believe that those exposures can stifle creativity by introducing negativity into your brain.

Seven Secrets is complete. I’m moving on to a piece of nonfiction about my dad’s amazing family next. I want my focus to be where it should be. Also, as many of you know, our daughter is getting married at the end of October. This is a joyful time…my focus should be on her and her awesome fiancé.

Big peace and love to all who are reading this – I promise to keep trying to bring beauty and fun into your life as much as it is possible, whether it is through the written word or through photos of God’s amazing gifts to us earthlings.