July Heat...

So far Dry July and cutting back on Facebook are going really well.

I mean it's 10:52 in the morning on July 1 but still, take those victories where you can find them!

I did already realize that I Facebook in my head all the time. Like this morning at breakfast there was a woman yelling at her dog barking and I had the Facebook status joke written in my head and was workshopping it to get the best punchline before I remembered I would not be posting that today. Oh. Right. I don't know how long it's going to take to not think about status updates I could post. 

Brent said "You'll have to remember how to be a normal human again." I corrected him. I've never been a normal human. Facebook actually just let me play one online. 

Also had a moment yesterday after I posted that I wasn't going to be posting in July and that I was fine and it was planned where I told Brent it ended up being a mini trip to the mall. 

Do you all get that reference? It's from Soap Box. Sally Fields' character, when she's feeling down, goes to the mall. People recognize her from the soap opera and tell her how much they love her and she gets a little boost. Brent and I use it now for when someone posts or does something that's clearly meant to generate "Oh we love you" moments.

My post yesterday was an accidental one. Which has happened to me before. Because I don't people well all the time. Like I think if I've thought something through and come to a conclusion I don't imagine other people will have different reactions. Which, I mean, of course they will! They are DIFFERENT people than I am. But since I've been thinking about this social media diet for a bit and I've written about it here I felt like it was already out in the universe as a done deal and nobody would even really have anything to say.

Except the same reasons why I have been unable to just delete the app, I like you all and like interacting with you, is the same thing that people who don't read the blog (HOW DARE THEY!) had when I sprung it out of the blue on them that I wasn't going to be around to "hang out with" for the next month, two months, maybe more. 

Oh yeah. People gonna people with their own emotions and reactions. 

Steps I took to prepare for this month:

I had a really nice drink last night with dinner and enjoyed every sip. Last one for awhile I thought it should be more than just a cider. Though I like cider a lot, don't get me wrong, I felt like a fancy send off was better. 

I took the Facebook app off the opening screen on my phone. It's a habit just to open it when I'm bored. If I had kept the button there I'd have already absentmindedly opened it half a dozen times already I'm sure. 

I did the aforementioned post that I was going to be offline more and not to worry. 

And, oh yeah, I told Brent what I was doing. Especially for the dry July it was kind of important he knew and knew I wasn't expecting him to participate. We've done dry January together a couple of times so I wanted him to know I wasn't expecting him to do it. He was like, good cause I'm not. 

I also told him I was still planning on getting a "mixed drink" at the soccer matches. It will be alcohol free, but still something different that feels sort of festive. Part of drinking, a big part of drinking, it the ritual around it. For me at soccer matches, getting a drink and socializing at the Key Bank Club with friends before the game starts is part of going to the game. I could just grab a bottle of water, but I want something different for those spaces. Something to keep it in the ritual. So a mixed drink without the alcohol works. Or might work. We will see tonight. 

And I also let him know that I wasn't deleting Facebook or going completely off of it so he wouldn't try to help me if he saw me on Facebook on my computer. For instance when I'm through writing this I'll open it and post on my blog page and look for pictures from people then I'll shut it back down. That will be the only time I have it open I think. Right around blog posting. Seems like a good plan for a taper. That's once a day at most. 

So I've got a plan. I've taken steps to prepare. I'm ready to go.

And I'm wondering, What do we think dogs are thinking when people yell at them to stop barking? Are they actually barking at them to stop yelling?