I am in a Relationship

After 4 months and a weird late night conversation, I took a step in my relationship that never used to be an issue in dating. I updated my Facebook relationship status to let 644 of my closest friends know that I'm dating this guy and he is amazing.

It's silly.
It's the digital equivalent of walking down the hall of your high school holding hands for the first time in public.
I realize this. I realize it is completely insignificant in my actual, real life relationship with this guy.

So, why did I decide to do it and why now?

My guy gave a wonderful sermon Sunday that touched on the pitfalls of keeping up with the Jones' via social media. There are studies that prove that by looking at all the wonderful things happening in our friends lives via their facebook feeds, we are more prone to jealousy and depression. It was thought provoking and the message seems counter to the decision I made. That's because there are two sides to every coin. I do not scroll through my feed and feel jealousy or increased depression at the positive things my friends share. I rejoice with them. I am truly happy for them. I like seeing when people enter new relationships, buy their first home or when their kid achieves a milestone. What gets me down is seeing the complaining on social media, all the negativity. I'm just as guilty of it as anyone else. I am so quick to complain, to point out what's wrong with my day instead of what is right.

Now rewind to the conversation about feelings on Facebook statuses. It wasn't really a big deal to either of us. When I brought it up, I didn't get a vehement "NO! I do not want anyone to know about you" reaction, which was a good thing. So, I was in no rush to change things. I'm confident in where I stand. I don't need validation from Facebook to know that he cares about me.

Fast forward to my Facebook feed this morning and I see this posting from Iyanla Vanzant:

Beloveds, don't forget today is NO WHINING WEDNESDAY!
The goal is no complaining about anyone or anything.
If you complain or whine, put a quarter in a jar. 

My brain starts churning again... no whining... OK, I think I can handle that. Life is good. My morning started off great, I was looking forward to a productive day. I was pretty sure that I could pull off a day of no whining. It didn't feel like enough. I wanted to do more than just not whine. I wanted to, at the risk of sounding COMPLETELY cheesy, make a joyful noise. I wanted to put positive energy where the negative used to be. I wanted to share the fact that I am happy with 644 people that may say well, things can't be all bad if that dork can find someone in this crazy messed up world. I wanted to put a little bit of hope out there in place of the whining.

I'm in a relationship. I'm happy. I have hope. I want to share that with everyone. As I stated on Facebook, I've been shouting this from the rooftops for months so why not shout it from the digital rooftops as well. I am a digital native, a social media aficionado. It's a fitting online tribute to my offline life.