A Quiet Simple Life | Sallie Borrink

For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. Romans 6:23

A Quiet Simple Life

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Sallie Borrink

Being a Writer in the Business of Blogging


Last week our little family went out on a few errands. We took a box of books to the bookstore to sell and they purchased everything I brought except the Christian books. So I called the Christian bookstore that buys books to make sure they were accepting books that day. They were so we drove the short distance and realized when we arrived that they had totally changed their store since we were last there. When we went inside I thought that it must be a relatively new remodel since everything looked so nice. So we asked.

It had been five years. Five years. This sums up my life so completely in so many ways.

A Life Turned Upside Down

Seven years ago we moved to Cute Little Town and in the eighteen months that followed, our life turned upside down. I have never felt like I have been able to get a grip on life since then. I get glimpses and brief stretches where I feel like things are on a more even keel and then it all goes.

Then I turned fifty last year. And my little girl, the baby I asked God for for nine years, turned ten. And now eleven.

Life feels like it is racing by more quickly than I can grasp it.

When we were at the Christian bookstore, it brought back a flood of emotions and memories. Memories of attending Christian writers conferences. Memories of submitting articles to magazines and seeing them published. Memories of one-on-one meetings with real national editors who told me I have a gift and I need to use it rather than spending it on busy work that other people can do.

And I ask myself – where did all that go?

Why did God allow my life to be so derailed moved in other directions?

Did I abandon the dream? Did God move me in other directions?

Right now I can’t even tell you with certainty which it is. I just looked around the bookstore and wondered what I was doing with my life. Wondering if I have lost my way or if I’m right where I’m supposed to be.

The Business Of Blogging

Maybe it is the online company I keep or maybe it is that I instinctively look for people like myself online. But I’m not the only one in the midst of feeling like there has to be more to this writing life than this rat race that has become The Business of Blogging.

Like Alison wrote last week in her post Existential Crisis and then Feeling for Change, I want to write. And read. Oh, I so understand. The Business of Blogging can be mind-numbing and soul sucking. It truly can be when we allow others to dictate the directions we take.

But reality is that The Business of Blogging is necessary for my life.

Like Sue wrote in her decision to take an extended break and live real life in Hitting the Pause Button, sometimes we need downtime which is why I haven’t blogged much the past few weeks. I was allowing myself to do other things.

Escaping the Urgency Trap

Since quitting Facebook last month, my life has taken on a different flow. My mindset has changed. My interactions with my family have changed. My homemaking has changed. I know some of you reading these constant references to quitting Facebook must think I’m crazy to discuss it so much, but it really did have that much of an impact on me.

Facebook creates this false sense of urgency all the time.

All. The. Time.

This false sense of urgency about everything:

  • Causes
  • Work
  • Blogging
  • Friendships
  • Politics
  • Being informed
  • Cultural trends
  • Remaining competitive
  • Health problems
  • The state of the Church
  • Not missing out

All of it.

Today David mentioned something that happened in the political realm that was a continuation of something else and I had no idea what he was talking about.

And I was glad. I was oblivious. And I’m fine with that.

We were not designed to know everything happening in every part of the country (let alone the world) every day. We truly are not. We are not designed to carry the weight of the world and all our friends day in and day out.

(As an aside, I’ve lost at least five pounds since leaving Facebook. I attribute it to more and better sleep and less stress spikes from being on Facebook.)

Excitement For What Lies Ahead

I started the year with my Getting Rid of 1000 Things challenge and it’s not going to be difficult. I keep disposing of thing in an effort to focus my life. Getting rid of things to remove distractions so I can hopefully hear why God has put this restlessness in me and what He’s trying to move me toward. I’ve been through this enough times in my life to recognize that something is afoot. These overwhelming periods of restlessness are usually an indication that change is coming.

(I’ll be honest. I’m really praying for positive change and not hardship change. Sometimes I am tempted to regret praying over twenty-five years ago that God would make me a patient person. Truly.)

But I’m excited about projects I’m working on. The biggest challenge is knowing what to do first because I want to do all the exciting things right now. LOL!

I’m working on my blogging to do list for the summer. I’m refreshed and excited. Yes, I’ve even managed to become excited about The Business of Blogging again because I was able to step back and make decisions for myself. Like Alison said in her post:

Today I am going to sit with pen and notebook in hand and try to visualise what I need the site to be in order to feel authentic again. In order to be just profitable enough. In order to revert back to the sanctuary it used to be before it seemed to need a village to run it. I am going to look at all the marketing I am currently drowning in and see if there is a better way to reach those I want to talk to. Those who would consider themselves blessed by a life less ordinary. To evaluate the services I currently offer and re-think them to be better for all of us.

I feel very much the same way. There is so much I want to do here for my readers. So many ideas I have for helping people. I want those decisions to be driven by what is authentic and not what blogging gurus are peddling.

So I’m enjoying my simple life of freedom. And I’m thankful for it.

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History of Classical Music | Beautiful Feet Curriculum Review


I’ve known of Beautiful Feet Books for some time and have always admired their gorgeous collections of books and related materials. I’m sure you can imagine my joy when I was presented with the opportunity to receive a pack to review as part of a group of Beautiful Feet curriculum reviews! I requested the History of Classical Music Pack which is designed for grades 4-8. We enjoy classical music in our home and we frequently bring things up in an unschoolerish kind of way, but I’ve never done anything formally with music as part of our homeschooling. However, we’re to the point in our journey where this is a good time and good fit so we’re doing this unit as a family!

I received this product for free and am being compensated for my time to write this review. All content and opinions are mine and I was not required to give a positive review.

Beautiful Feet Curriculum Review

If you aren’t familiar with Beautiful Feet Books, their focus is learning history through literature. Be still my heart. Two of my favorite things – books and history – in one. They have packages for grades K-12 and every one of them is full of delightful books and valuable learning opportunities.

Some of the Beautiful Feet packs include:

Beautiful Feet History of Classical Music Pack

The History of Classical Music Pack is an extensive selection of materials designed to last an entire year if used twice a week. It incorporates geography, history, music appreciation, individual instruments, the orchestra, and biographical information of composers. It’s truly a comprehensive classical music history unit.

Beautiful Feet Curriculum Reviews - History of Classical Music Books and CDs

The instructor book guides you through each lesson, indicating when to use each part of the pack. It is a guide, not a step-by-step scripted teacher’s manual.

Beautiful Feet Curriculum Reviews - History of Classical Music Teacher Guide

The selection of materials is outstanding. There is so much here and all three of us will have a great appreciation for the scope and depth of classical music when we are done. This will also do an excellent job of giving Caroline a foundation for future history studies in these locations and times.

When we have completed the History of Classical Music Pack, we will have learned about the following composers from the Baroque, Classical, Romantic, and Modern Periods:

  • Corelli
  • Vivaldi
  • Stradivari
  • Bach
  • Handel
  • Haydn
  • Mozart
  • Beethoven
  • Paganini
  • Schubert
  • Berloiz
  • Mendelssohn
  • Chopin
  • Schumann
  • Tchaikovsky
  • Liszt
  • Wagner
  • Verdi
  • Strauss
  • Brahms
  • Tchaikovsky
  • Dvorak
  • Grieg
  • Mahler
  • Foster
  • Sousa
  • Debussy
  • Stravinsky
  • Messiaen
  • Prokofiev

(Alas, no Telemann in the Baroque period, but Caroline hears him frequently since he’s one of my favorites!)

As we’ve started on the History of Classical Music, certain names and compositions have already come up. One of the ways Caroline was exposed to many of these composers and their famous works early on was through the Little Einstein DVDs. She has already related certain pieces of music to the various themes of those DVDs. So she has a running start on many of these composers and their works even though we’ve not done formal study before now.

Beautiful Feet Curriculum Reviews - History of Classical Music The Story of the Orchestra

There is a timeline included with the set that you add to each time you learn about a new person. This is great for a visual learner like Caroline.

Beautiful Feet Curriculum Reviews - History of Classical Music Timeline

One thing I do appreciate about this curriculum is that it touches on the spiritual aspects of both the composers and their works. It’s impossible to get an accurate picture of classical music if we ignore the spiritual. A number of men lived lives that were puzzling and often contradictory with their professed faith and I appreciate that Beautiful Feet Books isn’t afraid to raise those questions.

The other huge benefit to this curriculum is that it is complete and appropriately in-depth. To be sure, a homeschool mom can find a composer’s Wikipedia entry and some YouTube videos of famous compositions if she wants to completely do it herself. But how often do good intentions not get lived out? By contrast, History of Classical Music has everything together and does an excellent job of showing how all of it develops and interrelates. It takes the most important and meaningful aspects of learning about the history of classical music and organizes them for you in a very easy to use and fun pack.

Adapting Beautiful Feet Books For Children Who Learn Differently

One thing I noticed right off is there is a fair amount of copying of information suggested. Since my daughter has dysgraphia, there was no way I was going to make her copy all of the suggested information into her notebook. For example, Lesson 1 suggests writing down the names and dates of the Baroque composers out of How to Grow a Young Music Lover. We made a photo copy of the list and she cut it out and put it in her notebook.

Beautiful Feet Curriculum Reviews - History of Classical Music Notebook

Likewise, we are supposed to create maps and label them. I opted to find some maps we already owned and printed off copies.

Beautiful Feet Curriculum Reviews - History of Classical Music Maps

For Lesson 2 she was supposed to record and define baroque, fastidious, protagonist, and virtuoso. I typed up the four terms, typed up the definitions in another column, and had her draw a line from the term to the definition. I’m far more intersted in her grasping the information about the composers, historical setting, etc. than getting bogged down with writing.

So, all that to say, I’m using the guide as a guide. I’ll adapt the suggested activities in a way that works for our family.

Beautiful Feet Books In Review

Overall, I highly recommend Beautiful Feet Books. For the mom who wants a curriculum with living books and a guide to walk her through a unit, I think it would be a great fit. I am so impressed by what I have seen and hope we are able to use more of their packs in the coming years.

Click here to visit Beautiful Feet Books and explore everything they have to offer.

Beautiful Feet Curriculum Review - History of Classical Music

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Creating a Simple Life by Choosing the Propaganda You View


Several months ago while looking for old-fashioned blogs, I came across a new-to-me but long-time blogger who wrote about the idea that you must choose your propaganda. (Mrs. White also wrote another post about homemaking propaganda.) I’ve thought about the concept of propaganda in the various parts of my life since then – as a woman, as a Christian, as a wife, as a mother, as a homeschooler, as a homemaker, etc.

I also read The Benedict Option that provided much food for thought regarding how to interact (or not) with the broader culture which is in decline in numerous ways. I’ve thought about propaganda and culture even more the past few months since I started thinking seriously about leaving Facebook and then left Facebook for good.

Propaganda is everywhere and it has tremendous power for good or bad in our daily lives.

Propaganda in Our Daily Life

Wikipedia starts an explanation of propaganda this way:

Propaganda is information that is not objective and is used primarily to influence an audience and further an agenda, often by presenting facts selectively to encourage a particular synthesis or perception, or using loaded language to produce an emotional rather than a rational response to the information that is presented. Propaganda is often associated with material prepared by governments, but activist groups, companies and the media can also produce propaganda.

In the twentieth century, the term propaganda has been associated with a manipulative approach, but propaganda historically was a neutral descriptive term. A wide range of materials and media are used for conveying propaganda messages, which changed as new technologies were invented, including paintings, cartoons, posters, pamphlets, films, radio shows, TV shows, and websites.

In a 1929 literary debate with Edward Bernays, Everett Dean Martin argues that, “Propaganda is making puppets of us. We are moved by hidden strings which the propagandist manipulates.”

In contemplating the propaganda I allow in my own life, I’m not even thinking about politics, fake news, and data breaches. I was thinking about the impact of what we read, see, and hear long before the latest fallout with Facebook. For me, at least, the idea of how propaganda in its various forms impacts me and my family was already on my mind and it encompasses far more than the political realm which is what most people think of when they hear the term. It’s much broader than that. Propaganda impacts every part of our life with people who have a message they want to use to persuade us to think and act in a certain way.

I wrote a series a few years ago for homeschooling moms called 10 Days of Homeschool Encouragement. One post, in particular, was about choosing your five people carefully. This was based on the popular concept that we become like the people with whom we spend the most time. In that post I mentioned that we have to consider not only the people we spend time with, but the forums we visit, the Facebook groups we are in, the people we text with, the people we spend time with at church, etc. I still firmly believe all of of that, but I’ve come to believe that Facebook as a whole becomes one of those five “people” for most folks who use it regularly whether it is intended or not. People who spend any significant amount of time on Facebook are impacted by it in ways they do not comprehend. I truly believe it becomes one of the most influential “people” in most people’s lives and they aren’t even cognizant of it.

Coming Full Circle to Simple Living

In the most amazing and providential way, I feel like I have ended up right back where I started when I began blogging in 2005. Yes, my life is different now in that I have a daughter and we homeschool. We’ve moved. We’ve gone through so many ups and downs with church-related issues. My health has changed. So I am not the same person I was. There is a depth to my life experience that I could not have achieved without the suffering and change.

All of life has led me full-circle back to the concept of two talent living. Of making simplifying choices. Of living a small life. Of being content at home.

It’s funny to go back and read the earliest posts on this website because they seem so long ago. Some of them have dated content that I have chosen not to edit out to keep them authentic to when they were written. And yet, at the same time, they are so current. Caroline might not be mentioned in some of them because she wasn’t born. But the core of who I am and what I believe is there. And now it’s like God is circling me back around to take another approach at those same topics but with thirteen years of mothering, marriage, and life to deepen and expand on what I write.

Creating a Simple Life

I’ve termed the life we live simple living. I think of simple living as being about giving an experience of peace, understanding, and joy to the people in our home. To be sure, there have been times when our life did not feel simple in the moment. But I’ve never stopped working to create a simple life for our little family even when I couldn’t fully express that is what it was. I never surrendered my commitment Philippians 4:8:

Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.

I’ve discussed with David that I’m not sorry I went on Facebook for the past few years. I connected with some lovely people from my past and made new friends. Having been on there also gives me a broader view up close and personal as to what is going on culturally. So it was not time wasted. But now it is time to focus on better things both for me and my family.

Cal Newport discusses the difference between the social internet and social media. The social internet gives us access to pretty much everything we would want to know as we seek out and find it. I’m profoundly thankful for the internet and what it gives. Yes, it is increasingly filtered by Google and other search engines, but the social internet as a whole is primarily free and open. Social media, on the other hand, is by its very nature manipulative and controlling. Social media is driven by algorithms and agendas. Users are the product to be sold to when we use it. I’m profoundly grateful to be breaking free of social media.

It’s been two weeks tonight since I deleted my Facebook account so I anticipate I will receive a manipulative email tomorrow. It will tell me to come back because so and so will miss me. It will remind me that I’ll miss such and such. I’m not even half tempted to go back. I truly believe I’ve found something better. Much better.

I’ve found freedom.

I feel FREE. I feel like I have my life back. I feel like I have my own thoughts back.

I told David that people really cannot understand the control Facebook has on their life and thinking unless they walk away from it. I know most people aren’t going to do that and I respect that each person needs to make their own choice. Some people have legitimate needs to use it and I understand that. We each make our own way in the world and we each have to do what we believe is best.

But having a true need to use it doesn’t negate the tremendous impact it has on each person who uses it. That is what I wish people would understand. That they are being controlled in ways they do not fully understand.

For me, I’m carefully and deliberately choosing the propaganda that will shape my life through the books I read, the bloggers I read, and the other places I spend time. I am seeking out pleasant places in real life that will help me continue to create a simple and cozy life for my family. A life that brings peace, understanding, and joy to my daughter and to my husband.

And to me.

Encouragement In My Shop

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I Quit Facebook – My First 30 Days


It is slightly inaccurate to say this is a record of my first thirty days after I quit Facebook. I’ve been researching people who quit Facebook for the better part of a year and wrote a lengthy post about quitting Facebook and deleting it all a few months ago.

After writing that post and reflecting on how Facebook doesn’t fit with my desire for a cozy life, I tentatively began the process of disentangling myself from Facebook as I tried to strategize how I could make it work, especially professionally.

A Brief Recap Of How I Quit Facebook

It’s not that difficult to leave Facebook in terms of the process. It’s fairly straightforward. But detaching yourself from all the ways you use it can be challenging. I couldn’t just disappear from the community pages I had for my websites. So I did some small things to start the process.

I started a forum on my website where I could easily interact with people.

When I shared my website posts on my Facebook community pages, I encouraged people to leave comments on my posts and not my Facebook share.

I cut way back on my personal Facebook usage to almost nothing to see how I felt about it. Then, to test out my potential leaving, I got more active again for a few days to see if I really wanted to be back. I realized how much I did not want to deal with Facebook any longer.

So although this post starts with Day 1 being the day I committed publicly to leaving Facebook, quite a bit of thought and planning went into it.

Day 1

  • Mention on my Facebook wall I’m definitely leaving Facebook in a few days
  • Put up posts on my Facebook community pages that I’m shutting them down and how to subscribe if people are interested
  • Start removing myself from groups
  • Start implementing work arounds
  • Say goodbye in a few groups after that awkward weighing is it weirder to just disappear without a word or say goodbye; I err on the side of being polite so I let people know in a few groups I’m very active in

Day 2

  • Realize again how insane the entire premise of Facebook is as I scroll through my 190ish “friends” to figure out who I need to give my phone number to so we can keep in touch and wonder who will want it and who won’t
  • Wonder how many of my “friends” won’t even notice I’ve left because they’ve unfollowed me for one reason or another
  • Scroll through dozens of friend requests I never responded to because the entire thing is simply overwhelming
  • Wish I could delete it all right now and be done with it, but want to give people who follow my website pages time to see the announcement in their feed (while at the same time knowing most of them will never see it because Facebook rarely lets people see what they want to see unless you pay)

Day 3

  • Continue removing myself from groups
  • Counting the hours until I’m out of there

Day 4

  • Send out one last reminder I’m deleting my community pages that evening
  • Finish downloading all my Facebook profile and community files for future reference
  • Close blog related pages
  • Deactivate my account to start the fourteen day process before Facebook will allow it to be officially deleted
  • Actually feel anxious while I’m deactivating it
  • Feel very annoyed at myself for feeling anxious about something as stupid as leaving Facebook
  • Ask my husband to look up my name and see what comes up; see placeholder spot with my name since Facebook is sure I’ll cave before the fourteen days are up
  • Put on game face; I’m determined to prove you can have successful businesses and a life without being a slave to Zuckerberg and his soulless algorithms
  • Go to bed with a quieter mind and feel optimistic about the future!

Day 5

  • No Facebook to check in the morning which disrupts my routine
  • Feel actual anxiety over not having Facebook to check
  • Really feel annoyed at myself for feeling anxious
  • Withdrawal is real
  • Google for articles about Facebook withdrawal
  • In the interest of full disclosure, write a comment about Facebook withdrawal on my quitting Facebook post
  • Providentially spend the morning out of the house on an unexpectedly prolonged errand so that takes Facebook out of the equation
  • Decide to keep a running post about leaving Facebook so I’ll have a more accurate record than my memory and so start writing this post
  • Wonder if making this running post public would be interesting or the dumbest thing ever; keep private for now
  • Go back and read some of the other articles I’ve linked to about quitting Facebook now that I’m on the other side
  • Am more convinced than ever that Facebook is like a drug
  • Wonder how much of the anxiety created by leaving Facebook is manufactured by fake news put out by Facebook to keep people chained to it
  • Felt compelled to check Drudge and Twitter lead stories to know what is happening; too depressing so I leave right away after deciding I really don’t need to know
  • Spend the evening happily tweaking and updating a couple of my websites while listening to Christmas music on Pandora
  • Go to bed peacefully after not reading rants and negative news on Facebook in the evening (or, truthfully, ranting about anything because I did it, too)
  • Realize I felt more focused on what I was doing throughout the day
  • Sleep pretty well

Day 6

  • Good breakfast with hubby
  • Checked email and various other morning routine things
  • No Facebook to check – feels weird and like I’m kind of out of the loop
  • Also feels good to be freed from the noise and voices of hundreds and thousands of people
  • Oh well – onward
  • Discuss changes to our business site with hubby and start working together on them
  • Got a huge amount accomplished on our business website today
  • Watched a couple of episodes of “Frasier” on Netflix on my Kindle while working to meet the need of being connected to something
  • Had a good day that was very productive
  • Went to bed on a positive note

Day 7

  • Woke up from a relatively good night’s sleep; definitely sleeping better without being exposed to negativity in the evening
  • Kept busy all day with family life and work
  • Thought about Facebook a few times
  • Went to bed and slept well

Day 8

  • One week since I made the decision to quit!
  • Woke up from a good night of sleep
  • Found myself instinctively navigating to where the Facebook link used to be on my browser when I went through my morning email and web routine, but no regrets that it wasn’t there
  • Realized how many other things there are to do and think about for my work and life beyond the endless recycled thoughts on Facebook
  • Work to do and family to love!

Day 9

  • Definitely sleeping better after getting off Facebook
  • Definitely getting more work done after getting off Facebook
  • Definitely more focused after getting off Facebook
  • Went most of the day without thinking about it except when comments came through on the Facebook post on my website

Day 10

  • Today is the first day I feel rather cut off and out of the loop; not enough to make me change my mind, but I feel it
  • Realize it is because I want to decompress with some introvert time and had developed a pattern of going to Facebook when I felt like that
  • Realized that going to Facebook to decompress is stupid beyond words
  • Looking forward to putting some tentative plans in motion to bring more real life interaction and friendship to our lives
  • Okay, I missed watching the meltdown tonight re: the season finale of “When Calls the Heart” on Facebook (but did see some on Twitter)
  • At the same time, I didn’t waste valuable life time watching the meltdown tonight on Facebook so, overall, win

Day 11

  • Another good night of sleep
  • I quit Facebook one week ago and this has been the most productive week I’ve had in a long time for work, family, home, etc.
  • This has also been the best week I’ve had mentally in some time in terms of clearer and quieter thinking
  • Realize how much anger being on Facebook generates in me, to be totally honest
  • Feel a tiny bit sad I can’t chat about the royal baby birth with friends, but not sad enough to want to be on Facebook
  • Decide to publish this and update it as I go in the hope it will encourage other people who are quitting or thinking about quitting

Day 12

  • Interesting to realize that news is no longer the backdrop of your life as it is when you are surrounded by people constantly commenting on it, reacting to it, and raging about it
  • Had fun chatting on my site yesterday with more people
  • Thought of the day… Is there a correlation between the steady rise of autoimmune diseases and diseases triggered by stress and the rise of “social” media?

Day 13

  • Starting my last week before I officially delete everything
  • As I suspected before I did this, I do feel cut off from my network of fellow bloggers, but not enough that I will change my mind; I can’t have everything and this is the trade-off I’m willing to make at this point in my life for peace and quiet and the ability to focus
  • Productivity levels – there is no comparison to before and after; so much more productive and focused now

Day 14

  • I’ve reached the point that when I remembered I needed to add something to this today I realized I was doing it more out of necessity to follow through than because I had anything specific to say about Facebook – that’s how much Facebook has diminished in my life already
  • Of course, I reserve the right to feel irrationally different tomorrow or next week
  • I spent hours on my somewhat neglected Pinterest boards yesterday – organizing them, adding keywords, moving them around, etc. – with plans to finish up today
  • Zero regrets I left Facebook and no temptation to go back at this point

Day 15

  • I realized this evening that because I was on Facebook primarily for business and blogging purposes, I thought about business things all the time, all day. Since I’ve quit Facebook, I think about business and blogging things less but accomplish more.
  • My life is more balanced.

Day 16

  • Realized that since I quit Facebook I have been dreaming more – more vivid dreams, remembering them more, etc. Also waking up feeling more rested that I was before. I wonder if the increased dreaming is due to all the stupid stuff from Facebook my mind no longer has to process each night while I’m sleeping.

Day 17

  • Tomorrow will be two weeks since I quit Facebook so I anticipate getting my letter telling me how much people will miss me if I delete everything
  • Not changing my mind
  • Of everything that has changed, the one that has surprised me the most has been the sleep related issues because I didn’t use Facebook in bed since it wasn’t on my phone and I also took it off my Kindle a while back. And I tried not to get on it after 9 or 10 on my laptop at my desk because I knew it did mess with my sleep if I was on it late. But there is zero doubt that I am sleeping better and waking up less after leaving Facebook. There are no other changes in my life to attribute it to.

Day 18

  • Officially two weeks! Woo hoo!

Day 19

  • Woke up to an email that Facebook had cancelled my PayPal account with them for purchasing advertising. No email to delete my Facebook account though.
  • Saw this post on Cal Newport’s blog last evening just as I was heading to bed so I need to go back and read it today along with the comments – On Analog Social Media. The parts I skimmed sound SO MUCH like my experience so far.

Day 20

  • I have no idea if my account has actually been deleted. I did not receive a notice from Facebook regarding permanent deletion. Now I wonder if I have a stray blogging app connected to the account that I didn’t delete (my fault) that is keeping my account active. I tried to sign in and see, but it says no account exists with that email address. So I truly have no idea what is going on.
  • The idea that Facebook has anyone’s well being in mind except their own bottom line is completely laughable. They make it nearly impossible to delete your account unless you go to other websites to find a step-by-step article that explains it. They do everything in their power to prevent you from leaving. It’s really all very evil to control and manipulate people this way.

Day 21

  • So I guess I’m gone. I never got an email, but I tried to log in and there was no way to log in or reactivate my account.

Day 22

  • Yesterday something happened that normally I would be all over online. I would have read about it, talked with people about it on Facebook, written a post about it, etc. Someone sent me a link to make me aware and I read a few related other links (both pros and cons). Spent about three minutes scrolling through Twitter to read reactions. Decided I really didn’t care enough to disrupt my entire day. Went back to working on my printables shop and enjoying my peace and quiet.

Day 23

  • Facebook is not for thinkers and people who like to have meaty discussions. I was only on there five years, but even I could see the significant shift the past two years in the way people react to everything they see and read. I enjoyed having discussions with Facebook friends about thought-provoking topics, but there were numerous topics I never brought up because I knew they would be offensive to some of my friends. When the Larry Nassar thing went down at my alma mater, I really wanted to discuss it. But Facebook discussions don’t allow for any nuance or asking of questions. I don’t think you can discuss most topics today unless you are willing to ask the hard questions. And if you ask the hard questions you are generally a horrible person (no matter what the topic). It’s a toxic environment all the way around.
  • I enjoyed using Facebook to connect with people, but I’m not a connect through sharing photos of my food, vacations, and child type person so it was a poor fit for me. I enjoyed seeing what other people were doing with their kids, but didn’t have much to add personally. If you can’t have conversations and you aren’t a picture sharer, there isn’t much there for you.

Day 24

Day 25

  • David told me the election primaries are starting already for some fall stuff. I am so glad I’m off Facebook. I’ve also blocked out most news since leaving. There is so much life beyond news and social media. Really. Try it. You might discover a world you forgot existed. 🙂
  • I’ve believed for a long time that we were not created to carry the weight of the world on our shoulders. Knowing about everything happening everywhere in our country and around the world isn’t healthy. At all.

Day 26

  • It’s been over three weeks since I quit. Not looking back at all.
  • My sleep continues to be much better.
  • I have no scientific research to support this, but here it is. Anyone with an autoimmune disease that is worsened by stress should try to quit Facebook for at least a month or two and see if it makes a difference. I believe there is a good chance it will improve your health.

Day 27

  • Realize as I’m about ready to shut down my computer for the night I didn’t write anything here today. I did write about this topic in another post I started writing today, but it’s not ready yet. But quitting Facebook continues to reverberate through my life in a good way and I’m thankful.

Day 28

  • So I honestly thought this would be harder. Don’t get me wrong. It was challenging to make the decision and I truly felt panicky the morning after I actually deleted my account. But I’ve moved on and not really missed Facebook. Of course I think about certain things that I can’t participate in, but none of them are as important to me as the peace of mind I’ve gotten. I continue to sleep better, dream more, and feel less stressed.

Day 29

  • Just about done with my first thirty days!
  • Overall I simply feel more in control of my life. I feel like I control the information I consume. I feel like I have more control over my day. I feel like my time doesn’t get derailed by getting sucked into discussions or happenings on Facebook that really don’t add true value to my life.
  • Very thankful I made this decision. No regrets except maybe that I didn’t do it sooner.

Day 30

  • Today is my last day to record my experience here. I’m sure I’ll write about quitting Facebook again, but it will be in a new post.
  • At this point, I have no interest in going back to Facebook. However, I am not stupid. I am not going to say I will never do it because never is a long time and life circumstances change.
  • However, I CAN say with certainty there would have to be a real reason to do it. A significant reason. I’ve demonstrated to myself I don’t need it or want it at this point in my life.
  • In retrospect, I was shocked how panicky I felt that first morning after I quit. It honestly did unnerve me a bit and make me wonder what I was in for in the coming days and weeks. However, it wasn’t a problem and by the second week or so I had pretty much moved on. I am surprised that I didn’t have more second guessing of myself weeks three and four since I can be prone to that in certain ways. The lack of second guessing really shows me I had thought long and hard about the decision and it was the right thing to do!

So how about you? Have you quit Facebook? Are you thinking about it? Where are you in the process?

Books To Explore:

Update: I’ve now been off Facebook for over a year:

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