Is it just me, or does it seem like everyone else in the world is a doing something while I sit here, having such trouble just trying to be motivated, and inspired? I sit here eagerly waiting for my muse, who must be terribly lost, to come and join me for a moment? Is it just me, or does it seem like motivation is muffled by every social media notification that must be checked, every missed TV show that must be watched, every text that must be replied to, every new snap story that must be played? Not that I need, or necessarily want to see what everyone else is doing, or sharing, just that I have this insuppressible urge to stay caught up. I have major FOMO, as much as I strongly dislike that term, it’s true..is it just me?

Is it just me, or does there seem to be this voice our heads, this devil on our shoulders encouraging us constantly to watch the next episode of Grey’s Anatomy, because like what if Meredith died, which is, of course, impossible as the show is her namesake…right?…No, don’t tell me, I have to watch the next episode. I seem to have this unspoken obligation to the characters, the writers, the directors, and the producers of these shows to watch the next episode. It’s like another class I have to stay caught up in, and the professor is brought to life to reprimand me with every reference I miss in conversation, every mortified laugh I let out when it seems like I’m the only one who doesn’t know that one quote from Parks and Recreation…

Is it just me, or does it seem like I’m a slave to the oligopoly made up of Netflix, Hulu, and AmazonPrime, and that made up of Facebook, Twitter, Snapchat, Pinterest, StumbleUpon, Tumbler etc? I think that’s the right use of oligopoly…but of course that matters so much less than if I’ve seen the latest meme of Kermit the Frog. Oh, sorry, that’s so two years ago. And here I was thinking, hoping that Kermit the Frog would never loose his edge. *Sips Lipton tea* But that’s none of my business. It’s probably just me.

Is it just me, or does it seem like the merciless grasp of social media is killing me softly? Like the threat of social non-acceptance is too overwhelming to bear. Yup, I just took a five minute Facebook break, and, you know, I think I actually have a bit of a headache from looking at, and listening to my phone too much lately. I now seem to be having this rather unfamiliar urge to pick up and read a book. Strange, is it not? I don’t really know what to do with it. I have to finish that last episode of Grey’s Anatomy, Mistresses, and Castle first. Oh, and Friends, of course, even though I’ve already seen every episode at least twice. I’m presently missing Phoebe’s wedding. I think I’m burnt out. Not from being overworked, no, from being too caught up in the parallel world of social media, the haunting, taunting milieu created by every show I’ve started but haven’t finished. Maybe it’s just me, but maybe not. Excuse me while I simultaneously reply to a text, check facebook, look at everyone’s snapchat stories while playing a song I’ve had stuck in my head all morning. I have to. It has become a sort of methodical habit encouraged by that pesky devil sitting on my shoulder.

Is it just me, or does it all really distract from being present in the here and now? Sometimes that’s a good thing, but sometimes it seems we can miss the beauty of everything about us. Sitting here, on my computer, with my phone beside me, I encourage you, reader of this online social platform, to put down your phone, close your computer, turn off your TV, and just be, here, now, in the present. It’s only here for a moment after all.