Observing Life: Thanks for the memories, Facebook

Facebook can be annoying with all the changes, but the memories tool is helping me reconnect with old friends.

You know that Facebook has become an unhealthy obsession when, every time the format is modified or additions are made, you have a mini meltdown.

That is what happened when the news ticker was introduced, then quickly followed with a timeline. I felt cheated – it was as if somebody had snatched my diary while I was asleep and redesigned it.

But, unsurprisingly, it only takes about a month to get used to each change, until the next rude interruption comes along.

The latest on Facebook is the “you have memories” feature, a notification that pops up and presents you with a history of what you did on that particular day each year since joining the social network.

I immediately took to it because it offers something soulful, making you to think back to old memories.

Each day I am reminded of the new “friendships” I have made along the way – some connections are real, with people whom I meet and see often, while others remain in the virtual world.

It also reminds me of life’s simple pleasures. Such as the taste of the amazing shawarma that I had on Electra Street in Abu Dhabi. It came on the back of an illness and was the first real meal I had eaten – and enjoyed – that week.

Last month I realised I had an FB friend with whom I hadn’t spoken for 18 months. Where before I would have felt awkward to say hello after such a long period of silence, I nevertheless used the notification – that popped up exactly five years to the day we became FB mates – as an excuse to reconnect. I have been enjoying the renewal of our friendship ever since.

Of course, there are bad days, too, the kind you would rather forget. I like to think that I am not the sort of person who whines on social media, but I do remember putting up on FB what at the time seemed like casual posts, yet were the result of the emotional upheaval I was going through.

Then there are the articles I shared with my friends and acquaintances, one of them about the importance of breathing. When I first posted it in April last year, it was because it had taught me a valuable lesson in how to get through a difficult experience. Seeing it recently was a useful reminder to slow down and I was surprised by the emotions it evoked. But I didn’t try to suppress the memories associated with it; instead, I looked back with a sense of satisfaction and gratitude, especially for the friends who were there to help me through that dark time (it did involve sending out several thank-you emails, but that’s another story).

Now, when I wake up each morning and look forward to my daily notification on FB, I am reminded of the old saying “all things must pass”. It has taught me that bad days are followed by good ones, health follows sickness, new friends are made while old friends move on – and, perhaps most importantly, that insight often comes with a little perspective.