I know a lot of people have moved off of Facebook, so I guess I’m showing my age in that I still use it frequently. I use it to communicate with family and friends, and to stay connected and up to date with people I don’t see frequently. I use it more than Instagram, Twitter, Pintrest, or any other social media platform. While isolated during COVID-19, I am on it all the time, and one of the features I use more than ever is Facebook Memories. It’s a real trip to look back at where I was over the years on any particular day, and to think about what memories will appear in future years that I posted during this pandemic quarantine.
The memories from May have been an interesting mixed-bag. May is generally a hard month for me, because it’s the month I lost my dad, eight years ago. This year was especially hard because I couldn’t be with my family on that anniversary. Not only do I usually spend that anniversary with my immediate family, but I usually spend the weekend closest to that date with life-long family friends who knew my dad since he was a kid– they are extended family who also loved and miss him, and I love spending that time with them to remember him. But this year, that too couldn’t happen.
But on the other hand, my memories from May also reveal how much my life has changed over the last five, ten, 12 years. Today’s memories show me that I started working as a civil servant 12 years ago. I also passed the Foreign Service Oral exam on this day eight years ago. Six years ago yesterday was my law school graduation ceremony. A year ago last week I received the job offer for the job I currently have.
It also appears that nine years ago the world was supposed to end on this day? I don’t recall what that was about, but I was posting a lot about the end of the world, and the zombie apocalypse. Actually, those posts might be applicable now as well.
The point is that I really appreciate being able to look back; it’s given me some perspective on how much I’ve changed, and connected me with my life that seems so distant these days. I’ve never been able to keep a journal, so these memories are as close as I can get to reading old diaries. Maybe I’ll be able to replace this method with blog posts, which will be a better record and not just memes I shared. #goals.