When I moved overseas, I mused that I probably better make friends with everyone I possibly could, since the opportunities to meet people on a small military base were probably few and far between. I’ll never forget what the Airman performing all our in-processing paperwork said to me. She said, “Be picky.” It didn’t matter that opportunities to meet people were limited. It was still perfectly fine to have my own personal standards and, yes, even to decide I didn’t want to be friends with someone; that I didn’t have to force a friendship merely because we happened to be in the same place at the same time.

Over the years, I’ve had various blogs. They’ve talked about the things that are most important to me: my passions, my family, and my spirituality. I’ve also come to realize I’m not fond of forging relationships online. They can be nice, but I want to live in the moment, here and now. So I’ve decided to be picky with my social media, how I interact online, and how I go through life. Whatever the reason is, right now I want to:

• Share my time with my family
• Spend time with my friends
• Do what I love

Oh, I suppose that’s most of us, right? I’m not claiming I want to do anything exciting or ground-breaking. I just want to step away from the constant world of social media, of treating life like a reality show meant to be watched, instead of lived.

So if I’m not aware you’re pregnant, engaged, graduating, moving, or anything else, it’s not because I don’t care. It’s because I want to hear it directly from you over a cup of coffee or in an email, so I can express my sentiments back to you in a manner that is more private than a Facebook “Love” or “Congratulations” on your post. Maybe it’s nostalgic of me or – yes – picky, but I think all of us have the right be picky with regard to how we interact with our family and friends, and live our lives.