Tuesday, July 2, 2019

The Sad Side of Social Media

living.boondockingmexico@yahoo.com



We've been planning a trip to San Antonio.  From there we will fly to my brother's memorial service at the end of July.  We've made a lot of friends there over the years but like everything else, distance and time take its toll.  

Most of our friends are people we met while living there in the early 80s and some were friends of friends.  The majority, like my family, are much older than we are and don't use social media such as Facebook.

Our friend Rickie had been ill this last year with lung cancer although she was never a smoker.  We kept in touch via FB sending messages back and forth and sometimes a couple of months would go by.  

My last conversation with her was on March 8, 2019.  She said she stopped the chemo treatments to reduce the inflammation which worked and she was feeling just fine.  Last night I sent her a message to let her know we would be there and that I had hoped she was doing well.  Considering she wasn't a big social media fan I wasn't surprised not to get an answer right away.   I got a FB message this morning saying it was her birthday and I had started looking for a great picture to post but instead I went to her "wall" to see what others had posted.

Rickie had passed away on May 18th in the evening.   Her husband doesn't do social media but her son had posted a message to someone else who had asked about her.  

The downside to social media is just this.  I have friends who died 10 years ago but no one has updated or turned off their accounts and they still receive birthday greetings. A sad commentary about social media and being in touch, isn't it?

6 comments:

  1. That is a sad thing about social media, I have a few of those FB friends that have passed and their birthdays still pop up.

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  2. Far too many deaths lately. I guess it is our age and it is inevitable but it still sucks! Thinking of you guys!

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    1. Hi Croft, the pisser is that you don't get the opportunity to say goodbye and there's nothing I can do about it now.

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  3. I was luck as I did get the chance to say goodbye. But even when you do there is a million things left unsaid. Brooks and I had about a half hour to talk to Norma before the drugs rendered her unconscious. But what do you say? It is very difficult. We did say the most important things though.

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  4. Oh Sweetheart I'm so sorry for the loss of your friend. Having battled the dragon she did I know how difficult it is. I wish her well on her new journey, and that her angels guide her all the way.

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  5. I'm sorry to hear of your loss, and the awkward way you found out. More of us need to plan for our "electronic legacy". Most don't leave password information to loved ones or add a "legacy contact" to their FB account. More info here: https://www.facebook.com/help/1506822589577997

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