Sometimes Facebook feels loud.

Like being surrounded by the bustle at a large airport.

All the voices in unison–endless chatter.

People are having fun, or having a bad day, or recommending interesting stories, or complaining they’ve been stood up. 

And you’re commenting, and complimenting, and supporting, and liking, and also wondering about the next photo you’re going to share.

Meanwhile, that tome on Alexander Hamilton remains unread. Meanwhile that sketchbook remains half empty. Meanwhile, that essay you started is partially written.  

This is not a problem with Facebook.

This is the purpose of Facebook–to share share share.

The problem is all mine and my inability to effectively ignore it when it serves me best to do so.

Instead, I choose to deactivate the loud account and check into the quiet account, where I have only a handful of friends.

Already I feel more mellow.

As though I’ve escorted these few into an empty coffee shop where we can talk.

There are others in the loud room that I would like to bring over, but I want to keep small numbers in the quiet room.

I’m sure I’ll enter the loud room again; I feel it is inevitable. There are many people there I enjoy a great deal. 

But to start off 2016, I think I could use some quiet.