Why I UnFriended You

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Yeah, I know.  It does seem a little final.  But here's the thing, we don't even know each other.  We are not friends.  In fact, I didn't recognize your name or your face, and while I usually adhere to strict rules about not adding strangers to my "friend list",  I have been making a few exceptions thinking you might have a child who is struggling with addiction, or maybe you stumbled on this blog and were curious. Whatever the reason was, it didn't take too long for me to see that you clearly don't have a child that has an addiction, or you wouldn't have posted that meme or quote or whatever that stupid bullcrap was.  In fact, when I saw it, I thought who on earth is so insensitive?  Did you know anything about me about or about our loss when you hit "send a friend request?"  Or did my name simply show up and you saw that we had a few friends in common?    

One of the reasons I started a Facebook page for my blog was for that very reason. You can certainly feed your curiosity without getting to know me that personally. And yes, I'm hypersensitive, completely emotional, overprotective and bordering on becoming as ruthless as a Russian Spetsnaz defending the Motherland when it comes to my son and my family!  (That was for you, John.  Picture your 5-foot mama who couldn't win a pillow fight in Canada with a Spetsnaz shovel and eye black!)  I mean, I've unfriended a few other people for inappropriate content.  There was a particular meme from the Walking Dead which was pretty graphic - it wasn't so much the zombie that was bothering me, but the sexually explicit verbiage underneath.  Uber inappropriate. Sorry, not sorry.  I didn't know you either.  I'm sure you won't miss me.  In your defense unfriended one, I probably could have given you one strike, but your anti-Trump post seemed awfully anti-American and it just wasn't the day to push my buttons.  

Speaking of Facebook garbage, did you know that if you accept a friend request on a legacy account you cannot unfriend the person?  In fact, think long and hard before you hit the legacy button.  You'll no longer have access to much of anything on that account.  Virtually all you can do is accept friend requests and change the cover photo and profile photo. I've learned that when receiving a friend request from someone you don't know, (just say NO), take a peek at the content of the page before saying yes. Just because you have 7 mutual friends doesn't mean the account is real.  And if you ask questions and the reply is "I want to get to know you, I want to get to know you.  How old are you?" You've made a mistake. People actually make fake accounts - you have no idea who is behind that cute girl's photo. You can get rid of a fake account if a few people report it.  So bye-bye fake "girl" who was probably, in fact, a creeper who wanted to post several times a day about 'free Ray Bans", or much much worse.  Be wise kids.  

I used to like Facebook.  I enjoyed the pictures of your dinner, babies, dogs, sunsets, and vacations.  I still like the memories, as bittersweet as they may be, and I enjoy keeping up with most of you, but I have to say,  I find it less and less appealing as the days pass.  

So, you're probably wondering if I'm even going to tell you what the offending Facebook post was. It probably wouldn't have even caught your eye.  But then you probably didn't lose your son to an accidental drug overdose.  You probably aren't super sensitive to the plight of millions of Americans who are caught up in the opioid epidemic either. (No, POTUS has not responded to my letter, but I remain hopeful). I used to be blissfully unaware myself. That was a whole different life.  

Well, here it is:

Who writes these?  Who likes it?  I wouldn't think of referring to your precious child in such a derogatory fashion.  Did he ask for an allergy?  No.  Could it kill him?  Yes. Well, my son didn't ask to be an addict either, and IT DID KILL HIM.   Do you know what kind of pain he was in?  Were you there as he began his descent into addiction?  When he traded one pain for another?   Or are you one of the people who just assume, judge and points fingers.  Do you really think he woke up one day and said to himself, "Gee, that looks like fun!  I think I'll be a junkie!"  Man, I hate that word.

NO.  He did not. If you stereotype my handsome, funny, hockey-loving farm boy, loyal friend, adoring brother, affectionate son, patriot and infantryman, and call him a "junkie" and say his life isn't worth anything, you and I will not be able to remain friends. Isn't his life worth ANY amount of Narcan?  Any amount of help, love, support, prayer or money? And just for the record, I don't think that the addict needs to be the scapegoat of everyone's dismay over the cost of prescription drugs. I get that it's frustrating.  I'm frustrated too.  By a lot of things.  

"Junkie's" are cops, doctors, lawyers, housewives, veterans, farmers, politicians, students, old and young, rich and poor.  You can't put them into a box. Can we all just be a little more thoughtful, a little more kind, a little less assuming, a little less self-righteous?  Can we think before we speak?  Maybe hold back a few unnecessary opinions or Facebook meme's . . .just a thought.  I'm sure you'll find a lot of other Facebook friends that are a whole lot more interesting than I.  Good luck to you unfriended.