by Lyn Lomasi, Staff Writer

Perception is everything and that can easily be thrown off when people aren’t able to use all senses at once. Take Facebook, for instance. It’s supposed to be fun and generally (for me, anyway), it is. But sometimes things get twisted around and it ends being anything but.

Facial expressions, hand gestures, and tone of voice are missing in those posts. Therefore, it’s very easy to take something you see as being something else. This isn’t always a big deal. But sometimes people argue about something taken the wrong way or believe someone is going through something they aren’t.

One example relates to my sarcastic postings on Facebook. I love a good laugh or a prolific quote and I post lots of both. Sometimes they’re happy, sometimes sad, and sometimes they are quite b*tchy. I post tons of sarcastic memes in a row some days. Apparently, this has misled some people into believing I was unhappy during certain periods of time or that these posts were meant for people or situations I might be going through.

Anyone who knows me well knows that I am far from unhappy. In fact, sometimes I am described as sickeningly happy. I’ve got more than one career and love it all. I have amazing children. I’ve reconnected with a really cool person I had lost touch with for a while that I’m enjoying spending time with. And I’m also engaged to a super awesome guy - the love of my life. There’s just so much in my life to make me happy right now that calling me unhappy over some funny Facebook memes is beyond hilarious.

However, that said, I do get how some people might think I’m mad or unhappy because sarcasm seems like my best friend sometimes. And it is. It’s just not that way for the reasons some are thinking. I’m just someone who loves to laugh and I often do it through sarcasm and exaggeration. Do I really feel the way those posts indicate? Of course not. Many of them are a bit overly exaggerated. That’s the point of sarcasm.

Because Facebook is also like a second life for people in some ways (or just part of the existing one), I can see how these thoughts occurred. But trust me, folks. I’m quite happy. Facebook is supposed to be fun. It’s a place where I converse with friends and family and laugh lots. I share my hopes and dreams, help others, work, and have fun.

Facebook should be fun, folks. Don’t take it so seriously all the time. Now go post another sarcastic meme I can repost and laugh about. I promise just because I shared it, it’s likely not about my own situation. Really…well, unless I say with it that’s what it’s about -- or tell you it’s about you. But that’s another post for another day.

Don’t have a meme for me to reshare? Well, go have a look at my wall and have a laugh on me. It’ll do you some good. I promise.

*I originally published this on Bubblews