Hello, goodbye, hello….

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How difficult it is to walk away …. well, from anything . . . but from social media doubly so. I have met so many people I care about through Facebook or Twitter. Truly, you know whom I mean, don’t you? Yes, you, probably.

But then, I think, how much of my time is spent not writing, not reading, not walking on the earth and making connections with all-my-relations… not having true conversations (via visits over cups of tea, or phone or email) with people I respect?

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Can I ask those of you who want to be connected to me, and with whom I also wish I to be connected, to meet me through either my blog or yours, through our various emails, our phones, our kitchen tables?  I hope so.

I am tired of social media, and I don’t think it helps me be a better person. It tires me. It angers me. It confuses me.

And so… I will be here more, which at least allows me to speak more fully, and respond more fully (I hope), and I also hope you will join me here. I hope you will help me be a better, more authentic person, and that you will give me the opportunity to help you do the same.

I will post this on my social media, which is ironic, I get that. But transitions are often ironic, and clumsy, aren’t they.

Bottom line? Let’s keep talking…  Thanks.

 

27 Comments

  1. Janine on June 2, 2018 at 7:40 pm

    Nice. I understand the feeling & also that there’s not an easy way out/alternative.

    • Lauren B. Davis on June 2, 2018 at 7:42 pm

      You’re right, Janine, there isn’t. And it’s all going to be uncomfortable… but I still feel I must try to protect my ‘temenos’… and your message makes me feel so much better. Thank you!!!

  2. Karen on June 2, 2018 at 8:03 pm

    Hi Lauren, I am very thankful we connected via social media!!!! I understand how you feel, but I am conflicted as I have met so many wonderful person, been exposed to things I never would have been, and introduced to new writers. I will be honoured to stay connected to you through your blog. Best, Karen

    • Lauren B. Davis on June 3, 2018 at 9:54 am

      Yes, I was conflicted as well, Karen, but the truth is I only have so much time in my day, and only so much space in my head. FB was taking up far too much of both! But please, let’s stay in touch.

  3. Shirley Jennings on June 2, 2018 at 8:04 pm

    Hi Lauren. I’m so glad we have met through our interest in Settler Collector. I understand the need to step away and have been thinking about doing the same thing. I’m working my way through your wonderful novels and feel a closeness to you through them. If you ever feel like talking I’m here for you.

    • Lauren B. Davis on June 2, 2018 at 8:45 pm

      I’m glad, too. Please keep in touch!

  4. Yuri on June 2, 2018 at 8:15 pm

    Well said! There something deeply wrong about it. Please keep me in the loop though;I always enjoy hearing your thoughts and perspective.

    • Lauren B. Davis on June 2, 2018 at 8:45 pm

      Hey Yuri! I want to stay in touch, truly.

    • Lauren B. Davis on June 3, 2018 at 9:53 am

      Oh, Yuri, it’s so good to hear from you. I do wish we lived closer.

  5. Rebekah on June 2, 2018 at 8:30 pm

    Continuing our conversation here, or wherever, hopefully one soon in real life, Lauren. So much respect for you as a woman, as a human, as a writer. Thank you for your wisdom and clarity.

    • Lauren B. Davis on June 2, 2018 at 8:43 pm

      Let’s talk soon Rebekah!! Always my friend.

  6. Lily on June 2, 2018 at 8:51 pm

    Good luck with getting off Facebook. I try not to go on everyday. I hardly post anymore I use Instagram instead it’s more private, so I’ve been told.

    • Lauren B. Davis on June 3, 2018 at 9:52 am

      Well, we need to see each other more in person, Lily!!

  7. David Worsley on June 2, 2018 at 9:56 pm

    Best of luck Lauren. I’ll spend more time on your site, less time of FB, and will be better for it. Very much looking forward to the new book

    • Lauren B. Davis on June 3, 2018 at 9:51 am

      Thanks so much David. I hope I’ll see you in the fall. By the way, you will notice a friend above, Christine Sexsmith…. she lives in a small Ontario town where there’s no bookstore. Do you take mail orders?

  8. Mel Ryane on June 2, 2018 at 10:04 pm

    Let’s talk after Scotland. I want to hear.

    • Lauren B. Davis on June 3, 2018 at 9:50 am

      You got it, Mel!

  9. Cindy in Helsinki on June 3, 2018 at 3:39 am

    This is something I only think about but will probably never do!
    would be nice to keep in touch. 🙂

    • Lauren B. Davis on June 3, 2018 at 9:50 am

      Yes, Cindy, by all means let’s stay in touch! And who knows, maybe I’ll show up in Finland one of these days. It’s on my dream travel list!

  10. D-L Nelson on June 3, 2018 at 7:50 am

    I think if so many people used it for messaging in place of email, I would too. Happy writing.

    • Lauren B. Davis on June 3, 2018 at 9:48 am

      I agree. Look forward to staying in touch. Happy writing to you as well, D-L!

  11. Ian Colford on June 3, 2018 at 8:59 am

    Admirable decision. Social media is valuable but hardly essential. I’ll continue to monitor your blog.

    • Lauren B. Davis on June 3, 2018 at 9:47 am

      Thank so much, Ian. The limited space in my head was just getting too crowded. I do hope we’ll stay in touch.

  12. Charlotte SexSmith on June 3, 2018 at 9:19 am

    My Dear Lauren, I have told you more than once that your book “The Empty Room” saved my life and gave me the ability to recover from my love affair with wine. I still feel that way. I am sorry that I shall not see your posts, and through Facebook I felt that you were so accessible to me – as an ordinary woman – living in a small Ontario town. I have taken vacations from social media, but I must confess that I do stay on FB mostly because of my love of Schipperkes, and to keep in touch with those of my friends scattered about the globe – some I have met and some I have not. I have been haunted by the images of “Our Daily Bread” and my daughter wept over that book. I will read more, but have had a tough time locating in a Canadian bookstore, for which I protested loudly. Best wishes and hope to see you once again providing comment on life.

    • Lauren B. Davis on June 3, 2018 at 9:47 am

      Hi Charlotte – I so appreciate your support and the kind words about my books. It means a great deal to me. It’s such a shame you don’t have a bookstore near you. If you don’t want to use Amazon (and I understand), I wonder if you might contact a bookstore like Wordsworth in Waterloo. The owner, David, is a friend of mine and he might well send you books by mail. When I lived in France there was a great bookseller in London who did that for me.

      And… I will write blogs more often, which will appear on FB, so we can keep in touch this way. As well, I think FB messenger will still find me!

  13. Melanie Fugard on June 4, 2018 at 11:10 am

    Hi Lauren,

    I recently retired and found I was reading less, because of all the time I spend with this lovely, annoying device in my hand!!!

    I’m also working hard to put it down sobI can do the things I really enjoy: read, garden, cook, …
    I COMPLETELY understand your decision!! If it’s any consolation, I was notified, by an email from Goodreads, of this most recent post; I wasn’t scouring FB to find it!

    I keep my ringer off most of the time and I’ve muted the vast majority of notifications (app “dots” too – email and text still vibrate); basically, I’m very much trying to leave my phone alone!! I read a 500 pg book over the weekend (The Good Daughter; excellent book!!); baby steps!!

    Best of luck in your quest and I hope this means we’ll get a new book from you, soon!!

    • Lauren B. Davis on June 4, 2018 at 11:26 am

      Good for you, Melanie! You will be my inspiration should my resolve weaken. (And I’ll check out The Good Daughter). My blog will still appear in FB, Goodreads, and so forth, which is fine with me. It does so automatically, and if it triggers lovely people like you to reach out… I’ll be delighted. Oh, and I have a new book coming out in the fall… THE GRIMOIRE OF KENSINGTON MARKET, which was inspired by Andersen’s THE SNOW QUEEN (plus my brother’s drug addiction). Hope you like it. And I’m working on another book, which has stalled, in part I suspect because I’ve been so scattered. Hope this social media divorce will help with that! And now… off to weed the garden!

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