NOVEMBER 17: National UnFriend Day

“I encourage you to cut out some of the friend fat in your life. A friend is someone you have a special relationship with. It’s not someone who asks which Harry Potter character you are.”- Jimmy Kimmel, November 17, 2010

I have been to Facebook, Instagram and Twitter since the start and over the years, I have seen friends that took a step back from me and removed me from their friend lists, unfollowed me and even blocked me and never felt guilty about it. I just shrugged my shoulders and murmured, “Oh, it’s magic. The trash took itself out.”

I was unfriended a few times and I had seen them specifically stalking me after that. I don’t typically hit the unfriend button over things because to be honest I maintain a strict account and only approve those I personally know, in other words, I am very selective about who I accept or add in my list. Yes, I am choosy about who I surround myself online.

Let’s be real: It hurts when someone unfriended us on Facebook. It really does, of course. Because it basically means like someone is telling us we are assholes and we’re not welcome in their Facebook world anymore or they need to make a clean break.

Unfriending is an unpleasant reality, especially when we are not sure why they unfriended us in the first place. But it’s okay to distance themselves to us sometimes because it’s a part of growing up. We need to accept we don’t belong to them or we don’t really deserve to be there.

So we let them go. And it’s not something we feel guilty about. As I’ve just said, it’s a part of growing up. Life is too short to waste our precious time to people who do not want to keep us around. Today is “National UnFriend Day” as dictated by Jimmy Kimmel in an effort to remind the society of the true meaning of friendship, a perfect opportunity to clean out our social networks and unfriend anyone who doesn’t spark happiness and love. Let us celebrate UnFriend Day by taking advantage of this opportunity to ditch the fake friends on our lists, to cut the friend fat around and disconnect or unfriend.

So what are you waiting for?