Taking the Virtual Hinges Off

Last week I had a meeting with a quirky customer of mine. She is a surgeon in her late 40s. Ironically, I met with her right after I received an email reply from a certain person lacking a moral compass. His name will no longer pass my lips or fingertips. My stomach was in knots and I could feel my neck blotching. I took a deep breath to get my mind right and put on a smile (there is no time for sad face in sales).

Back to my meeting, this lady (let's call her Dr. Quirky) is very outspoken, loves to cuss (more than me!) and is hilarious. She sweeps into the room and gives me the once over. I get a compliment on my jacket. She complains about her day while I nod sympathetically. Next thing I know she is telling me about her twins. They are 7 year old girls (you guessed it--IVF). Apparently, the night before, one of the twins was being a "little bitch" (her words--I don't speak that way. About kids.) and was sent to her room. The little girl kept yelling and slamming the door. Dr. Quirky told me she walked out to the garage, got a screwdriver and hammer and stomped back into the house. She promptly took her daughter's door off the hinges. Dr. Quirky carried the door out to the living room as her daughter yelled, "you can't do that, only Daddy can do that!" I was laughing so hard, telling her, "no way!" as she kept saying, "you're God Damn right I did!" The door stayed off all night much to a little 7 year old girl's dismay..

It made me think about privacy and secrets (I swear I won't get all dark). My friend was just telling me another one of those "Facebook ruined my marriage" stories. We've all heard them--the spouse connects with an old flame, it starts with idle chit chat and then...BOOM!, they're banging. I have 2 old college boyfriends as friends on fb. One, I am also friends with his wife (she has no time for fb and he shares his account with her to laugh at pictures, etc) the other attended my first wedding and we have remained friendly for the last 20 + years. I love that 2 of my old boyfriends are good guys that are married and mature.

Is technology to blame for a lot of the stuff going on right now? I think of my Mom circa 1972 with her teased up hair, head-to-toe polyester, cig and Tab™ in hand. She would not have time to diddle on Facebook. She was ironing my Dad's boxers, recreating the roast from the cover of Southern Living and cleaning up after us. I read a stat the other day that people spend an average of 2 hours a day on social networking sites. What does that mean about our society? I have a FB account (2 actually--1 for Penelope and 1 for the real me). I look at it on my phone between appointments. I know I don't spend 2 hours on there. People, I got shit to do--don't you? This blog is another example--I made a vow that I would not do this if it felt like work. I type and think fast. Most of these are written in my head while I am going about my wacky day. 

I am all for privacy, but I think there may be a need to take the virtual hinges off the computer. Like my friend that looks at her husbands Facebook account or my other friend that reads her husband his texts when he doesn't have his glasses on--if you are together, you're together. There should be boundaries and privacy, but not secrecy (which to me = lies).