#2,591 Support + Freedom.

I don’t know how to adequately thank every person who shared the exciting news about Home Town’s premiere date, each one of you who emailed and called and texted and tweeted and shared. There were some big ones late last night and today that took us by surprise. Country Living, for one:

 

And some of our HGTV family:

 

 

 

And even though there was infinitely more kindness than there was unkindness, it’s hard for someone like me, a pleaser, to have no curiosity about what the people on Facebook have to say. It’s also hard for someone like me, with a tender heart, to not be affected by it after I do. After spending just a few moments scrolling Facebook, with my pulse racing, I quickly realized I was not only not guarding my heart—I was opening the door and inviting trouble (and doubt and self-consciousness and worry) to come inside.

I told a very wise friend about how I was feeling and she confirmed what I already knew but for some reason have been too attached to to let go of. She said, “DO NOT READ THE COMMENTS, GIRLFRIEND. Do not go there. You have important work to do.” And so today, I cut the cord. I’ve broken up with Facebook and I’m not going back. For those of you who know us and care for us and see us walking our dogs or in line at the bank, please don’t tell me what you read or what you see there. I’m pursuing freedom and the safety of my heart. I’m done with it, with the vitriol written by hurting people about the caricatures of people they think they know because they read about it in the news or saw it on TV, when it’s actually uninformed commentary on a cardboard cutout that resembles a real person. But it isn’t real. Those people don’t know what breaks my heart or makes me smile, my intentions, my hopes.

It’s like I’ve been a prisoner to this kind of social media since college but I liked my captor even though it mistreated me, little by little, by showing me the worst of humanity. And today felt like real, honest to goodness freedom.

I wish all you tender hearts out there would join me in leaving it behind. Let’s do the important work instead of critiquing the ones who are doing it. Let’s live for real.