What I WON'T do online

A recent news story I read about a councilman's wife posing nude on the Internet had me trying to understand what compelled that woman to do such a thing. I realize women are doing this type of thing, but I am not one of them.

There are just SOME things I won't do online. I won't post revealing photos of myself, even something that "bares all." I'd never do that, even if they were willing to pay me thousands or even millions of dollars for it. That's just wrong. Well, in MY opinion, it is. Plus, I'm the kind of girl to save that sort of thing for just ONE man, the one I am involved with. And not for the whole world to see. I mean, I even have hang-ups about wearing a swimsuit in public because of the fact that they reveal too much.

I also won't agree to meet someone I barely know just out of the blue. Maybe some guys out there think it's ok to suggest they "hook up" with you the very first time they start chatting with you. Not me.

I also won't use a blog or any other kind of public forum to whine endlessly about how much my life sucks or who's made my **** list. (Yes, I actually HAVE one! LOL But it's not like anybody who ends up on there stays on there forever. I'm willing to work things out with people. And, I am willing to forgive.) That sort of thing is private, not meant for the virtual world. I realize I've posted public rants before, but those were on universal subjects and, well, they were tapered down a notch. But, I mean, I won't go into details about bad things going on in life or curse people out online.

I have also come to see that I really can't rely on the Internet to bring in extra income anymore. Once upon a time I could, but that required A WHOLE LOT OF TIME ONLINE, and stress and anxiety offline. It's not worth it! Life is just too dang short to let stuff like that pull you down. Plus, I compared my "online success" to my "offline success." And I didn't like what I saw. I want more offline success, because I LIVE offline. That's where the REAL people are. The REAL WORLD. Plus, it's pretty dang lonely working from home. :( I just need to be around people. Actually BEING THERE to help people, and not through the Internet. No, that's not for me anymore.

I also won't ever again use the Internet as some way to find love. I know people HAVE found love through the Web. But, I'm not ever treading that path anymore. It's not that I've been burned too badly I'm swearing it off. I just prefer the REAL THING. A real person to talk to and know. I would rather have that, to have lost that, than something over the Internet.

The Internet HAS been good to me. I've achieved a great deal of writing success. And, I have many... "hats" which I wear. Ugh, sometimes I think TOO many. I've got three editorial positions and three writing positions. I have also met some wonderful people, though I have yet to ACTUALLY meet them in person (I have, as a matter of fact, been encouraged to meet Peter Bowerman in person -- and Peter and I have been sending emails back and forth for over two years!!). I've learned about people I wouldn't have otherwise got to know so well offline. My Internet friends REALLY helped me through a rough patch in life, and I've even taken on mentoring a couple of young writers (which has been rewarding).

But, on the other hand, there are the bad things I've had to go through because of my Internet experiences. I mean, for one thing, ALL of the writing stuff I've been doing online interfered with all of the books and scripts I want to write. For another... I had to learn some painful lessons, often due to people out there in cyberspace thinking it's ok to scam others or hurt others or play with peoples' feelings from the security of their home. But the worst part is how it just ate up my time. I did all of the things I've done while my little girl grows up too fast right in front of me. It just ate up my "mom time" and I don't want that to continue.

I am going to be homeschooling my child. I WILL need Internet resources to help me figure out how to do that. But other than that, I'm easing up on other stuff. I won't be fervently submitting work as much as I used to. But, if there are deadlines I have to meet, I WILL put in that time to meet them. And ONLY those deadlines. Nothing else.

Life is too short to let the Internet suck you in. Life is too short, period.