My Notebook

Note to Self: Think Before You Post

Before my thumb taps share,

I try to slow the rush,

ask myself who I’m really talking to,

and who I’m secretly aiming at

on that long, messy friends list

of cousins, coworkers, old classmates,

and people I barely remember meeting.

It’s funny how a screen

can make the world feel small

and the audience feel vague,

like I’m shouting into a fog

instead of speaking to real people

with real histories, real nerves,

real reasons for seeing things

the way they do.

Some posts are just steam,

pressure leaving the body.

And maybe that’s fine,

But maybe it belongs in a private message,

or a quiet conversation,

or a smaller circle that knows the backstory

and won’t mistake the tone.

Because social media isn’t a diary,

It’s a megaphone.

And once the words are out there,

they land where they land;

sometimes soft,

sometimes sideways,

sometimes nowhere near

where I meant them to go.

So I try to ask myself,

before I let the words fly,

Is this building anything?

Is this opening a door?

Or am I just adding more noise

to a room already too loud?

A little pause,

a little intention,

That’s all it takes

to turn a post

into something worth reading.

Be blessed.

wcd