So, Facebook and Instagram are down. I guess this is the biggest outage in a long time for that company. I tried to refresh and troubleshoot too many times before I realized that the sites were down.

I use Facebook for multiple groups and I have tried, rather haphazardly, on occasion to get away from social media and find alternative apps and systems, but FB and IG are easy. And, here I sit now, realizing what I’ve felt for many years, that I really need to get on the ball and have a solid email list and way to keep in touch with people that I love connecting with, even when the social media sites are down.

It’s never too late, right? By the time you see this post, Facebook will have it’s sites back up. But, if you want to keep in touch off of Instagram and Facebook, or want to know when I bake sourdough or want the recipe for the sourdough apple fritters that I just made last weekend, or wonder what things I’m experimenting with in foraging, quilting, beekeeping, gardening with a side of health and fitness, then make sure you subscribe to my newsletter and feed.

Now, what to do during a Facebook outage. Breathe. Go outside and get some sun and make some vitamin D! Go sew or make some bread or read to your kids. Once a year, I do a fast from Facebook for a whole month. It’s been an incredible experience with tangible benefits. What I’m realizing today is, just how calm I feel. I’m not seeing posts that have been flooding my brain for the last year and a half. It’s like I would expect to feel, if I had been brainwashed and was just becoming conscious of it. Enjoy the cleansing feeling of not having access to a bunch of recycled and twisted content. I’m not saying it’s all bad. There is a lot of good that can be done via social media. But, do you feel it? If you consume content on Facebook or Instagram with any degree of regularity, and can’t even get to it right now, are you feeling anxious about that? Or, are you feeling suddenly free?

I feel free. I try not to consume all the negative and aggressive content, but I’m not without my hangups.

Enjoy the day. You know what? I might just pretend that Facebook is down all day today, and not even check until tomorrow!

Anne