The Irony..and the Ecstasy

So, it's no surprise that the "recovering perfectionist" ( yep, that's me!) has written posts on her other blog sites, but not this one. She is too busy censoring, criticizing and otherwise sending herself negative instant messages ( wouldn't that be called flaming if she did that to someone online?) sabotaging her creative pursuits! But today, I have managed to sidestep her inquiring gaze and have ventured into peaceful creative territory where I watercolor my greeting cards, doodling..writing verse and letting myself pour out the inner workings of my mind onto the paper. And when this happens.. my writer's block somehow disappears. The artist ( I use that term loosely) somehow overcomes the critic... at least for awhile.
My thoughts today are on the pros and the perils of social media like Twitter and Facebook. I am on both and have found Facebook to be a wonderful place to catch up with old friends from school and former jobs as well as delight in the fun banter of my college age kids. There is nothing more fun than watching my kids do the "remember when?" game and posting silly messages in their private nonsensical language. Pure fun.. especially when they live at opposite ends of the state and don't get a chance to see each other often. and they don't mind a humorous anecdote from mom once in awhile. I have also hooked up with some groups and talked/posted on discussion boards about some of my interests. I have made new friends who are inspiring me to continue working on things I am passionate about.
On Twitter I have connected with cool people in positive psychology who are doing research that helps me to be a more informed educator. I have also hooked up with other passionate educators who validate the part of me that is often told "you care too much." It is refreshing to learn about new strategies, be fueled by a common purpose and support others who want to make a difference as I do.
Ok.. so what's the downside? Well, I do think that getting "sucked in" is a true danger. I do believe that we must monitor our online time to avoid any chance that we are neglecting "real life human interface" time. One of my fellow tweeters mentioned that she dreamt her kids were the only ones tweeting to her. She took this as a sign to get offline and spend some time with her kids. I have noted myself wondering, "What if I miss something important? I should just check one more time" before shutting down my computer.
I suppose the irony is that we have amazingly accessible connection to pursue our passions with like minded folks, but we must use these tools carefully. We could shortchange ourselves the time interacting with those we love, in the here and the now. Because, really.. right now is all we have. I want to savor those "right now" moments.