Do you sleep around, emotionally??

Right now, the Airborne Toxic Event is playing on our little PC that could...one of my most recent "discovered" bands, although i am sure those cooler than myself have known about them forever (you know who you are!). They have a little of that u2 guitar sound, with alot of a nostalgic songwriting flair and an old wave voice to sing it all. I was just outside, sitting in whatever dark one can get in a Florida suburb, and one of our owls flew onto our jaciranda tree...it comes every night I assume. This is one of those nights...
So what's new in your life? Are you happy, are you safe, are you sound? We went to the water yesterday, fished, had a really relaxing day after a small but very nice party Saturday night. It is very good to have so much family around here, and we are blessed.
Topic of the night- are you an emotional slut? This idea sprouted from an article of course, I read this week and I have also seen other news bloggers ponder this question in the face of the whole Facebook, Digg, Twitter age. How much is too much info? Does anyone from your high school past really care about your kids first day of school? Do we need to know what you bought at the grocery store? Do we feel compulsively compelled to spill the beans, or is it just too easy these days? What is too personal for you to share? What is sacred?
when I first joined FB, I thought- why are people always doing "status updates", then found it quite entertaining, and joined in. However, never do I once think that my updates are important to anyone else, or that they matter in the world. I find it amusing to share stories, to compare ideas with new and old friends about events we have shared, albiet in different cities or countries. Some of my FB friends live in the UK, and that is always interesting to comment on movies or other pop culture events going on. It's fun and at times, a good way to pass a few minutes while your kids are away or while some of us are at work...
Sometimes, there is a problem of "overshare". This term means that you have shared perhaps too much information to people who really aren't close to you. For example, on alot of websites (not just FB) people are spilling their nasty beans like it's everyone's business. I believe this stems directly from the reality show phenomenon of the past decade. People who are "nobody" get their 5 minutes of fame by sharing stories of divorce, sex, craziness and general debauchery. On FB, their are people who post updates about their impending ends of romances, and my heart breaks for them. The problem is, unless you write personal messages to closer friends, when you post updates, every one of your FB friends sees it. This takes a very personal nugget of your one life and puts it out there for someone else's two minute lunch break glance.
It's a changing culture. When I was in high school, the only cell phones were ones our parent's had that came in big black cases with big attenaes and bigger roaming bills (especially on Hwy 20, Hwy 267, and Hwy 19). When I was a freshman (1989) teachers were SMOKING in the outdoor hallways...those were the days... You called your boyfriends one their parent's home lines and hoped to have a talk before someone cut in to say they needed the phone. People wrote love letters and sent cards, on paper, with ink and stamps....I still have all of mine, because although a compulsive neat freak, am a hoarder of a small group of sentimental things. My life is only one, and that's it. I feel no shame in keeping the things that have affected me in any way.
If- I'm sorry- when I am no longer around, my sons will know that their mom was adored and friends of both genders that actually wrote letters to/from college and distant places before the 90's brought the internet. Anything intimate was written down or spoken, and not put out there for anyone else's eyes to see. Lockers had handy little slots that were perfect for notes during school, way better than texting some cryptic shorthanded message. Cars have windshield wipers that some enterprising young men left some sweet cards for me, such a nice surprise when you know nothing about the annoying buzz of a cell or beep of a message alert.
Despite sounding really old, I just wanted to put out there that sharing networks are so easy, so fast and so convenient. I think it's great for fast emailing and especially have enjoyed sharing ideas with so many good old and new friends about common interests. How else could you have an ongoing conversation with others able to pipe in about so many things?
Be vigilant, is my reminder to myself. Keep some things sacred. I tend to not share too much about my marriage and even my kids (despite the common what did they do today comments... ) It's easy to relate to other mothers, and to friends who may not be parents but whom I am so proud of for their personal achievements. I also miss a handful of people that I wish, in some ways, could be in our real, everyday life. These things may never happen, due to a little awkwardness or some kind of boundaries we keep. And that, is perhaps, what is meant to be.
Boundaries are a good thing? Maybe in this brave new world they have to be....