FEELING - - - everything

One of my nieces is in the ninth grade. Being a hip freshman, she is also on Facebook, and being a hip Aunt, so am I. Because we are "friends" I get to spy on her a little. She's very open on her Profile page and so I can get a general idea of what is going on just from her status updates. And I have to say, it's very exhausting.

She feels everything so deeply. Every crush, every heatbreak, every betrayal. From her adjectives, it seems to affect her to her core.

I would just roll my eyes and move on, but I think that I was once like this. So, I try to let her in on some fast advice sent through an instant message, knowing that she will not really listen to much, just like I didn't.

I cannot imagine feeling that deeply about anything right now. Can you imagine if my status update in Facebook read:

Alicia is DEVASTATED that the price of milk continues to be nearly $4.00. Why is this happening? Why? Why?

Alicia is so HAPPY HAPPY HAPPY that Garry let me watch America's Next Top Model without any comments about how gay everyone is.

Alicia HATES that Macey continues to have accidents in her pants. It's SO GROSS. I'm SO CONFUSED. Why does she continue to do this? RUDE.

Alicia LOVES the way she feels in her new gray stretchy pants. SEXY!

Alicia is MISERABLE because Garry ate all of the dip. All of it. Serious people, not even a dab remains.

Alicia thinks the IRS is a big fat JERK for finding a "mistake" in her taxes and keeping her money.

See, I'm exhausted just writing this. Imagine FEELING all of it. It's good to be thirty-something.