reevaluating my f'list

[capri0mni]

In life, as in art, whatever does not help, hinders.
-- Caroline Stephen, Quaker Strongholds, 1891

My life is in flux. Because of my father's lung cancer, I am forced to reevaluate my relationships to family and friends, and that includes people on my LiveJournal 'friends' list. There are 66 usernames there now (a few are secondary journals kept by single people), and many were added to my f'list a long time ago, when I was adding almost anyone I met who mentioned they had an LJ. That's why (as has often been commented on) 'Friends List' is a really unhelpful phrase (on the other hand, 'Acquaintances I read in passing' is a bit cumbersome).

And I just don't have the emotional energy, right now, to involve myself (even in a general, virtual, way) in the lives of passing acquaintances.

So I hereby make the following announcement:

If I have 'de-friended' you, be at peace.
You have done nothing to anger or upset me,
and if you wish to keep reading (and commenting on) my journal,
you are welcome here.

Comments

[lizziebelle.livejournal.com]

I've had to cut back on my flist a couple of times, just because I was getting anxious about not being able to read it all. I just don't need any extra anxiety, especially from LJ!

[uncacreamy.livejournal.com]

I see that I have survived, and I am honored.:)

[samantha2074.livejournal.com]

Sometimes you have to cut back on Internet stuff for your own sanity. I agree that the whole "friends" nomenclature can be misleading and can sometimes cause drama amongst the young and/or insecure. I've never been offended by being removed from someone's flist, and would hope that no one's been offended by being taken off my reading list.

[brassfire.livejournal.com]

Heh, sometimes I block people on IMs because I'm supposed to be working or I'm braindead but REALLY have to talk to one or two people and these other people are just chattering away about usually-completely-useless-things that WOULD be interesting if I had a brain that day or maybe would just be social and nice and fluffy to talk about... I usually unblock them eventually but this one guy found out I was blocking him and COMPLETELY blew up at me even though I told him I do the same thing to my guitarist half the time.

Ahhh, insecurity.

Anyway, capriuni, I'm not offended. I get pretty depressing sometimes and although I added you because of the mutual forum, we don't really have that much in common. I might still read you, not sure - I'm about due for an lj "friends" culling myself. :)