It is 5:30 AM on Wednesday March 30th, 2019. We’ve got more rain and have had so much rain this year that California is out of drought. Here in California is often seems that everyday is sunny and 65 so when we do get some weather it is a nice change. It seems this winter though it has been nothing but rain but I cannot complain. I like sitting in my shed working and listening to a good storm. It is comforting in a way except when we get the very high winds which causes the eucalyptus trees to violently sway back and forth and I wonder if one will actually fall down.
This year has gone very quickly and it is hard to believe we’re already in March. I’ll turn around and we’ll be in summer already. Aside from the rain it is also been a year of nasty colds and illness. My wife was laid low by a fever a few days ago that kept her in bed. It hit quite a few of her friends as well and it looks like they all caught it together when they went to lunch last Saturday. Now my son has it and he crawled into bed with me last night coughing up a storm. I remember what it is like to be sick as a kid so I was glad to oblige but now I find myself mentally scanning my own body as I wonder if my immune system is strong enough to fend off this one. So far so good. I did have some nasty colds a few weeks ago so hopefully I have an army of antibodies that will fend this thing off. I’m sure I’ll know by this evening if I need to spend a few days in bed or not. Since a terrible fever is part of it, it is one where I’d actually have to take a sick day or two which I never do.
I woke up about 4 this morning but opted not to workout so I don’t tire out those antibodies. Instead I let my mind wander and I started thinking about how I’m getting older and my thoughts and opinions change. It is also almost time for the Cherry Blossom parade which our karate dojo will give a demonstration in.
As my mind combined these two topics I started to think about Instagram. I follow the Japanese Society of Northern California and they’ve selected this years Cherry Blossom Parade Court. Through them I also started following the Japanese Society in Hawaii and became interested in what life is like for those of Japanese heritage in Hawaii. So I followed a few of the contestants of previous years for a while but just the other day but learned what they post is pretty much the same as every other young woman. They post pictures of the events, of their travels, of their boyfriends and so on. It was just yesterday I decided to unfollow as I guess I’m just getting older and this thing doesn’t interest me anymore.
But as I laid in bed this morning I thought about how the life of one of them might turn out. She is pretty and has a handsome boyfriend who looks like he is of Philippine origin. I have to say he looks like a “player” for lack of a better word with his diamond earring, a body that is well built and a flawless smile. If I were her Dad I would be worried. It is amazing how many assumptions and judgments I come up with just through pictures. I don’t know these people or what their characters are like but if I were to guess, that relationship is not going to last.
Time will go on and the beauty will not last forever. He’ll most likely get the idea that he wants to date other women and they’ll be happy to oblige. One piece of advice I’ll give my own boys is that although it is fine to play for a while, you don’t really want to try for a long term relationship with someone who is extremely good looking. In my experience this is actually a hindrance in them developing other skills or a great personality. Others will complement them too much leading to some insecurities which lead to a less than stellar personality. In addition, very good looking people become spoiled and difficult to stay with. They’ll be under a kind of assault from other guys/girls and then the idea to maybe try for even better get into their heads.
So when I think about this guy she is with time will go on and the excitement of youth will fade. He’ll get a job where he will not be on top all the time which will wear at his confidence. He might try to compensate by indulging in the affections of other women and of course this will cause problems in the relationship. There are issues in every relationship but does he have the strength of character to get through these times or will his mind tell him to just drop it and date other women thereby boosting his ego in the short term. He lives in a small bubble now but when he has real competition in the working world will he be able to adjust and how would this affect his relationship?
I had also followed a young lady from Saudi Arabia who had commented on one of my pictures. She is also attractive and I knowing nobody from Saudi Arabia I followed her a bit to see what her life is like. But again, all the pictures are of herself wearing nice clothes and going to luxurious places like Paris. This seems to be a theme among the attractive young women from places in the Middle East that I know. They’re all so into fashion, brands and living a fancy lifestyle.
These young people also want to be “influencers” as they’re now called on social media. There is picture after picture of themselves, day after day, month after month and year after year. This might have held my interest as a younger man but at 41 I’m not interested anymore. And so realizing this I unfollowed all of them. Yes, it was interesting to see what their lives were like for a while but as every single post is of them simply looking pretty it got a bit boring.
Young people today, and even more than a few women I know and follow my age are so concerned about getting more followers and ‘likes’ that I’m guessing it is to help boost their self-esteem by throwing up picture after picture of themselves. When I was growing up this would have seemed as a bit conceited but in today’s society and along with the advent of social media is has become the norm. Look at me, and a few hours later here is another picture of myself, and you know what, here I am again. Well, I’ve had enough.
I’ve begun to withdraw from social media. I know what you look like and I don’t need any more pictures. There you are working out, there you are with your new boyfriend. There you are kissing your new boyfriend. Oh dear, you broke up, but wait, there you are with another boyfriend and you’re kissing him. If you got married then here is yet another picture of your kids. There was a time when parents were afraid to put pictures of their kids on the internet due to a fear of bad people doing something bad. Now, the floodgates have been opened and parents splash pictures of their kids online day after day.
This is where I feel lucky to know a thing or two about the internet and computers. I have my own blogs where I can express my thoughts, share pictures and so on and it is all very much under my control. For me, I like to record life for my own benefit and that of my family so we can look back on our lives through the magic of the internet. I don’t need to share everything and can keep it private if I so choose.
Well, the time is 6:06 and the household will soon awake. Time to start the daily routine.
