Inspired Knits & Peace of Mind: How Much is Too Much?

February is almost over. January seemed to go very quickly, but I guess that is something people say as they get older.

I have been doing a lot more contemplating than writing so far this year and I have to tell you one of the reasons why. I spend a fair amount of time exploring, lurking and chatting, tweeting and posting on websites, like Twitter, Facebook and Ravelry. As I read posts/tweets that others write I am struck by how much oversharing is out there. I ask, "How much is too much?"

There are forums and friends and people to follow and companies that have an online presence. Do people who use these sites realize or care that what they share is out there FOREVER? I understand some folks are lonely in their offline lives or things are too challenging IRL, but I say to you with love -- please get a grip. Going online and ranting is not going to change anything in the long run. Deal with it and move on.

As a child, my family moved from place to place to accomodate my father's job and we children spent a lot of time adapting to new surroundings, getting comfortable, and then leaving. Most times upon leaving we would be devastated by having to leave friends that we hoped to have forever and never speaking to them or seeing them again. I do understand the need to belong, to belong to groups or even lead groups. These social networks seemed to have tapped into that need and people are diving into the shallow end from the high dive. While it is great to converse with like-minded people, Ask yourself:

1. Why am I following this subject? Why am I in this group?
1. Are they genuinely my friends? Do I really know/like them?
2. What am I getting from this?
2. Is this too much information I am putting out here? Am I talking too much, oversharing?
3. Is what I am saying relevant to the topic? Am I derailing things to make it about me?
4. Are there any unwritten rules I am breaking?
5. Have I even bothered to read the rules and guidelines before posting?

All it takes is one person or incident to change the dynamics of a group forever. It doesn't matter how well intentioned the act -- there are folks that will not forgive and can not forget because it is there to be re-hashed for eternity. Just be careful out there.

But on another front, I have been knitting up a storm and given myself a HUGE case of startitis. Another case of how much is too much. I have started so many projects this year and it is only February! if this keeps up all of my needles will be in use. That will probably be the only way to cure it. Though I hope I can finish them because I see a few more in the near future, heh. I'll show you some that I have begun and which ones are haunting my dreams next time.

A few of my recent FOs (finished objects for you muggles) here: