I remember the day very clearly. It was a normal family dinner. A Tuesday evening, perhaps. We were enjoying some lemon chicken and buttered noodles. And that's when it happened.
"Hey Sarah, you should check out this new website. It's called Pinterest. It's like flipping through on online magazine and clipping out all your favorite articles. A lot of fashion and artsy stuff on there."
Psh, I thought to myself, my dad doesn't know what's cool. Pinterest? That's the lamest name I've ever heard, and if my dad has an account it couldn't get anymore lame.
Pinterest launched in 2010, but it took me until 2012 to actually create an account (and an addiction).
So my dad may have been right that I would take interest in a website that has a plethora of creative ideas and a way for you to organize those to your liking. But I think what we both didn't expect was for it to become more than just an app on my phone or a website that I visit every so often. Nope. I am a full blown Pinterest addict, and I'm not afraid to admit it. So here are my confessions as a Pinterest addict:
I use Pinterest as my search engine.
I use "Pinterest" as a verb as many people do "Google" nowadays. Need to clean my room? Let me Pinterest that before I start. I'm not sure what to eat for breakfast. I'll Pinterest it! I need to figure out how to unclog the kitchen sink. Hold on, I'll just Pinterest it. If it can't be found on Pinterest it doesn't exists to me.
I have a "junk" board.
You know the drawer in the kitchen where you shove the random chapstick, the letter from the mail you don't want to throw away yet but it needs to get off the counter, and any candy wrappers you can find? Better known as the junk drawer? Well, I have my Pinterest version of that. I use my "junk" board for pins that I like, but I'm not sure when I'll ever need it and it doesn't fit into any of my other categories. I occasionally take a gander through my "junk" board, but I never find anything good (just living up to its name).
I always have Pinterest open in a tab in my browser. Always.
If this statement is found ever to be not true, they probably started charging a monthly fee and I haven't decided if I have the money to fuel my addiction. No matter what I am doing, a Pinterest break is the cure for any stressful homework, or in between sending emails. And by "break" I mean a minimum of 15 minutes scrolling through the Humor section- there's always some knee slappers in there.
Not being followed by people I know is a blessing.
Pinterest isn't like the other social media sites where following all the kids you went to high school with is the norm. I mean let's be honest, I don't really care about what crafts Veronica is making this weekend or Sally's repin on "10 Ways a Yoga Ball will Improve Your Social Life." But I do care if people see my Golden Girls board where I just hoard quotes from the old TV show- what can I say, it's an oldie but a goodie.
I get worried that Pinterest will soon become concerned for my health due to excessive use of their site.
I will never forget the new feature on the Wii that so friendly reminds you that you've been playing Paper Mario for the past 2 hours and should probably get some sunlight from somewhere other than the tiny window in the basement. But I pray that Pinterest will never betray me like that. I'm just committed to my pinning- that's all.
