Putting up posts on Facebook is for me more like writing a diary that depicts my thoughts and emotions at any given point of the day. Once, earlier in life, I had started maintaining a diary. It was fun to recollect the moments spent during the day and jot them down on paper. This good habit lasted for a few months only.
Years later, when I found it in one of my less opened drawers, the booklet was a treasure trove of emotions and feelings. The good, bad and ugly about what I dealt with, or who I spent my days with, were archived in my handwriting. There were tear jerker moments, happy anecdotes, words of wisdom, agony, happiness, sense of achievements, frustration, and a bit of everything. The pages were filled by an amateur writer but introduced my current self to the old me, my inner being and the growth thereafter.
Technology has made it so much easier
Today, archiving moments has become so easy. We have images and videos to fossilise our goings-on. Words are optional but add volumes to the reality of spent moments. Memes, quotes and infographics published at various places often mirror what we are going through at any given moment. When they resonate with our inner self and mind, we cannot help but hit the share button, right?
As far as I am concerned, this share button is not only for others. Just like the habit of writing a diary, I get a chance to create a more vibrant and colourful virtual diary for myself. The privacy setting for each post can be altered. Some posts are for the world at large, some only for my friends, and others for only me to see. The idea is to collect what I want to save in one place and this platform happens to be the choice.
Reliving beautiful moments
I love going back to my photo albums, random thoughts, quotes and images to draw inspiration from. Especially during the lockdowns, when the traveler in me could not venture outdoors, these albums came to my rescue. I could relive the moments spent at my favourite haunts. The beautiful images kept me going even when I was stuck in time and space. Then, there were anecdotes and writeups shared on special occasions that brought back fond memories of events and people.
Sometimes, the quotes and sayings posted in the past seem immature and repetitive. Maybe, some day, when the mood or situation is similar, those quotes will be relatable again. Every short or long post in my digital diary is precious and speaks a lot about my journey and self. When I see a memory or throwback by Facebook, it makes me notice my personal growth, follies, milestones, rise, falls, pullbacks, comebacks and how deeply I feel and live life.
Loneliness no longer bothers me
Honestly speaking, it feels good to have a log of my days to go back to. Whenever I have the time, I read motivational stories or watch the videos made by self or others on my Facebook page.
Every new read or watch introduces me to a part of me I do not know. I know for sure that the process of evolution has kicked in. The hashtags accompanying my posts have started making more sense these days. On certain occasions, I start reading between the lines to understand what else is conveyed in the writings of others. It’s a hobby I cannot resist.
My profession demands that I sit in one quiet corner of the house writing for my clients. At most times, the tasks assigned are related to commerce, technology or finance. Much as I would like to write on travel, relationships and motivation, they are not financially viable. The topics I write on are of the serious kinds and require in-depth research and a lot of effort. They are mind boggling at times.
My digital diary
Even as I work across the day, my Facebook tab remains open to provide me with intermittent relief. Just like an espresso shot, I get a kick when a nice quote comes up or a friend says “hi” on the side. A few minutes of well-deserved break and I am back to my documents. This has been a routine feature ever since I took up the role of a content developer, which was almost ten years ago.
Why am I writing this? Is it for my mom who feels I should stay off Facebook? Am I trying to justify my regular posts to someone in the virtual world? Or, am I merely adding one more page to my digital diary to read at leisure in future? Whatever it is, I am feeling lighter and accomplished as I reach the far end of my writeup.
The crack of dawn has given life to a beautiful and cool morning. I hear birds chirping all around me. Somewhere in the garden below, a champa flower has bloomed again. I can smell it over my first half cup of steaming tea. The world will rise soon and then these thoughts will recede. What if I had not written them down? Wouldn’t they be lost forever? They would be within me but never surface to the fore. I am glad I phrased my thoughts once again for posterity.
