Social Media and the Pressure to Live an Interesting Life

With everyone tweeting the details of their lives into a carefully crafted 42 word entry, what does that mean for those of us who continue quietly along keeping our details hidden and our exploits under the radar? Social media has created a dichotomous world of exhibitionists and voyeurs. Facebook is a defining model that simultaneously tempts and repels me...how does that person have the nerve to post such blatant nuggets of narcissistic nonsense? And yet , there are those individuals who know exactly how to post... with the eloquent drama of a deftly choreographed soap opera. People whose antics and storytelling prowess somehow keeps us fully engaged and enthralled.

Facebook for one, has created a hierarchy of social media characters. There are the Queen Bee Evangelists whose every word triggers a frenzy of no less than 18 posts no doubt from the disciples who aspire to be so I N T E R E S T I N G. Then there are the post-challenged who try to be clever and cool, but whose posts fall like lukewarm dribble between drama and dirge. Last, there are the Facebook "Air Eaters" who just eat up the air without leaving behind anything much to remember.

Falling into Functional Fashion

Such a glorious indian summer has left me with a sense of extended carefreeness...a kind of reprieve from the serious structure of fall then winter's shortened days. Each beautiful blue-sky day belies the impending doom of daylight savings time. Every still-warm cloudless day, I walk about in the comfort and informality of flip-flops only casting my feet into real shoes that beckon from the sale racks at Macy's. Too high. Too narrow. How can I ever squeeze back into the unyielding pressure of business shoes and coordinated outfits.

This time of year has always evoked a sense of trepidation...the back-to-school blues or the back-to-work woes. No longer is it enough to dress for success.

I mean to like to put myself together and go to work, but if the shoe really fits, will I wear it?