So, where are you from?” The question I least like to hear when meeting someone new.

My dislike doesn’t come from any shame of the past, nor from some hidden desire to have lived in and conquered a huge city, or even from having to try to pronounce – let alone, spell! – some of the towns in which I’ve lived. It comes from the fact that I have numerous towns which I have called home, and yet I have not had long-term stays in any of them. It’s difficult to explain in a simple reply.

While I’ve always longed for “permanence,” I have not known that – even as an adult. I have come to see that my desire to experience and learn new things either came from my moving to new places, or my moving to new places came from my desire to experience and learn new things. Growing “stale” is not an option for me – and I hope it never will be. If that includes buying new address labels now and then, then so be it.

Enter Facebook. I’ve heard many jokes about it. I’ve seen the obsession that can occur. I’ve seen the ups and the downs of it. My niece Jillian first introduced me to it while she was a college student. “You’d LOVE it,” she said. It sounded fun, but I compared it to other sites known for their “stalkers,” bad advertisements, and security issues. So I stayed away.

A few years later my friend Anna told me about the security of the site – I choose WHO sees what I post and who DOESN’T see what I post – and I choose WHAT they see, as well – and I thought, “Fine, I’ll give it a try. But I won’t be one of those Facebook-obsessed people.” As is the case with the majority of Facebook users, I became hooked – instantly. Yes, I became obsessed, and yes, I spent WAY too much time logged in – looking at pictures, posting pictures, chatting, etc. But, as with most things, it became balanced and found it’s proper place in the scope of daily life, and I now limit myself to not greater than 15 minutes per day, total time.

Years have now passed since I first logged in, and I am trying to convince my brother to “join the Facebook family.” He recently gave me all the excuses I once gave to both Jillian and Anna. But when replying to his question, “What makes Facebook so special?”, it hit me why it is that I actually look forward to my daily dose of Facebook. People I hadn’t seen or even heard from for years – people from ALL of my communities, are on Facebook. It’s my “unchanging” community. All in one place. I can come and go as I please – and all these friends are there. They are only a mouse-click away.

So, in the midst of the recent “purge-your-friend-list” craze, I have chosen not to “de-clutter” my Facebook friend list. My friends don’t have to “write on my wall,” “Inbox me,” or even “tag me” in any of their old pictures (in fact, I’m probably glad they DON’T tag me in the old ones). They are my one consistent, ever-growing, ever-changing, ever progressing community! I accepted their friendship or requested their friendship because at some point along my journey, they were a part of it . . . and on Facebook, they still are.

This is a repost of a note I posted on Facebook 2/5/11.