Day 114 - How Much of Me Do I Share With You?

A long time ago, I wrote a message to someone from my past and thought the note would go directly to that person. Ohhhh, noooooo - instead it went up as a post for everyone on the site to see. Yikes! It was waaaay too much information and none of what I shared should have been public - like my address, or the fact that I was living alone and single. When I found out what I had done I panicked and called the owner of the site who assured me it would be taken down immediately. It wasn't. The only thing that gives me comfort about that mistake is that I have since moved and there is so much stuff out there, it got buried. But it's still there and I know it. This was well over ten years ago and I still remember the sting of that important lesson.

 

Recently, my hubby found a phone on the path where he walks our dog. He brought it home and tried to track down the owner, whose name appeared on the opening screen. The white pages didn't yield any results so he left the phone on the counter and intended to contact the carrier and see if he could have it tracked that way. I told him I'd give it a shot.  When I did a search of the owner's name, I found him, but there was more information about him than I needed to know, if you catch my drift. And although he wrote a lovely thank you note, the image that popped up on my screen as I did my search, has stayed in my mind. It turns out that he's a new neighbor and lives just a street away from me. I got to know him a little too well, a little too soon, by finding him on my computer search. I wish he knew the lesson I learned ten years ago.

 

These instances make me very much aware of what I am sharing as I write each day and then post my blog online. I am careful not to name names and I tell my story - not stories that are someone else's to tell. I am careful to not put myself in an uncomfortable situation by sharing things that are too personal. I have no control over who will read what I write and I have to feel comfortable about how much of my inner self I expose. I think that if I'm home a lot, it could get a little too easy to share too much, or too often. I watch myself for that. These social network sites do serve a purpose, but they are a tool, and I have to make good choices about how I use them. For those of us who feel housebound for any period of time, it's a great way to reach out and have someone else right there to respond and to engage in conversation. Once something gets posted rgough, it's there forever, and I want to make sure that I am authentic, honest and appropriately self-revealing about my lessons and personal growth as I share my journey of recovery.