Twitter: The hard lessons that I had to learn.

WeFor the better part of the last 3 years I have had a love/hate relationship with Twitter.

I've engaged (and met) some people that I consider my closest friends. 

And I also met someone that I allowed closer than anyone in the longest times. 

I was able (through various disguises by way of screen names and avis) to create a cyber persona that reflected who I am (or in the case of the older accounts, was). 

Up until late summer, I had crafted an identity that was a true reflection of who I am. 

As @half_way_angel, I opened the part of me that showcased my snark, my warped humor, my vulnerability and my sharp edges. Many embraced the realness that I put into the account, finding solace in knowing that someone else was willing to share their stories, their sorrows and triumphs. 

But then, evidently, I got too close to someone and it bit me hard. No longer did that account bring any sense of fun and creative outlet. Rather, it was a constant reminder of what I no longer was able to do. Hence, the twitter-cide. 

Honestly, I didn't want to return to twitter; the bull shit in the last few months...it was tiring. I got tired of being questioned, being spoken about in plain sight. Oh the offenders will proclaim their innocence, will claim that I was just being paranoid or that I blew things completely out of proportions. What ever.

But return I did.

The new account @not_hwa  is everything the other wasn't. I've shared more of my pains, my sorrows and my tragedies. I've shared the heart wrenching pain that has eaten me alive. I miss the freedoms of my other account but I don't miss the drama.

Half_way_angel taught me some very important lessons:

1. Just because you are "friends" with someone online doesn't always guarantee you will have them to defend you.

2. Views and opinions are what makes your stream unique; however those same views and opinions will be held against you by said so called friends.

3. Rants/venting (while being a good means of catharsis) will be mistaken and used against you.

Granted, I've had some people who truly care to reach out to me....to make sure that I am okay.

But I've also had countless run-ins with people who are total assholes. And those are the ones that I pity the most.