‘Unfriended’ by an acquaintance.
I have recently found myself in a situation where I was ”unfriended” on Facebook by someone I never considered a friend. She and I have traveled in the same circles for years, as our teenage boys met in grade school and grew quite close. Our paths have crossed through scouting and sporting events, Halloween, and numerous other community engagements. We also currently volunteer together for a local youth organization.
Our two boys are now Seniors and leaders of their Cross Country team. As girls and competition have come into the big picture, their friendship has grown rocky. I have sensed tension and awkwardness in conversation with her while discussing the boys’ races in prior track and running seasons. I had hoped this was not a case of a competing mom trying to determine which boy was faster. We recently volunteered at an event, and I perceived her as avoiding me. Later on, while scrolling through Facebook at home, I searched for her name and saw that the “Add Friend” button was available. She had unfriended me at some point. Regrettably, I am uncertain when this took place.
Let me start by sharing that Facebook has become one of my biggest pet peeves. I miss my original Facebook feed, filled with photos of my college friends at parties and random, (now cringeworthy) statuses. Now, I seem to have to scroll through endless, irrelevant ads to see a picture of my nephew. I see vague statuses prompting people to ask silly questions. And so much screen confidence from people that I know would never say the things they write out loud. Someone else had said that “Facebook is the landfill of the internet,” and I completely agree! Have you ever noticed that some people have over 1,000 “friends?” I do not even know ONE THOUSAND people!
So why is it bothering me?
I have admittedly put too much thought into this whole situation. After all the analyzing in my mind, I can tell myself that I don’t care if she unfriended me. I have a friend list of about one hundred people that I actually know and trust to share pictures of my children. It’s not about losing a social media friend, but the rejection that bothers me. Unfortunately, we still volunteer together and probably will for a few years. At least now I know I do not have to go out of my way to befriend this person. A simple ‘hello’ and ‘goodbye’ will suffice. Making friends as an adult can be challenging, but being a genuine friend is simple: treat others how you want to be treated, and they will find you.
