Facebook Tells All

Kent and I started dating in October 2007. We ended things last Sunday. I've told a few good friends who will pray for us and offer support during this time. I had no desire to make a big announcement.

But Facebook makes it for me. "Ciona is no longer in a relationship," it says. Here's a wound; may I have some salt, please?

Kent and I went forever without listing a relationship status on Facebook; we didn't need Facebook to define our crazy/beautiful relationship. We did it about a month ago, though, partly as an inside joke. Oh, how the joke is now on us. Or on me, at least. Maybe Kent's ok with it announcing, "Kent is no longer in a relationship," but I need Facebook to let me announce things on my own terms. Why can't it be more like a status update instead?

If it were, I would have written one long run-on sentence: "Ciona is no longer in a relationship with an amazing man who was one of her best friends AND her boyfriend since October 2007, and it's been such a difficult decision for her to make because, while the good times were fantastic, the hard times made them wonder if they would be able to be together forever and have a family and be happy, but she wished so badly that they could make sense together and that she could have decided differently and that he could still be one of her best friends because some parts of life just make more sense with him than they do without him, and there are so many emotions involved that one short little sentence to define their relationship status just seems unfair to all that was, especially when it doesn't end in ellipses . . ."