I won, thanks to social media.

Last September, I was too afraid to touch Facebook or Twitter, now it’s started giving back.

Therese Ralston
Sep 4, 2018 · 3 min read

I’m a farmer’s wife though I don’t always talk about the weather. Sometimes, I support my husband when he does farmer things. Like when we went to an agricultural show together.

Hectares of exhibits are set out on a checkerboard of flat land, but he and I are interested in different things. He walks too fast, while I go slow and watch a sea of humanity pass by. We separate, other than divorce it’s probably the best option.

A wild wind whips up dirt from surrounding paddocks. Papers and leaflets flap about in a mini whirlwind. Grit gets in my eyes; I need to take cover.

The nearest stand sells generators. A sign out front says there’s a competition to win a $1400 inverter. No idea what an inverter is, or whether we need one, but the enclosure is well protected. I head in.

I had a look at a series of squat tubular things that generate power. When I focus all my energy on what someone is saying, I become engaged. Then I realised we could use one of these machines when the power goes out on our property. Smiling and head nodding, I appreciate the guys spiel and now want to buy an inverter or a generator, or an inverter/generator.

Either I’m fickle or he’s a great salesperson, but it may be both.

‘Oh, okay, thank you very much,’ I say, as he hands me an entry form.

After composing about 4000 Facebook messages and 1000 reply tweets this year, I’m so well practised at writing in 2 sentence bursts I might win. The requisite 25 words or less, pertaining to why I want to win an inverter, come quickly. I write neatly, with exactly the right word count.

To win it would be wonderful.

Scoffing ice-cream together later, when the windstorm had died down, I tell my husband I’m sure I got us a little generator.

‘Do you know how many hundreds of thousands of people go through these sites every year? Nah, no chance. You won’t win; they always give it to someone who buys something.’

‘You’ll see, I’ve got a feeling.’

My farmer raises his eyes to the clouds; he’s been subject to my whimsical feelings for a long time.

Looking at hundreds of Twitter puppies, kittens, hedgehogs and dancing owls, making up so many quick quips and captions must have given me a bit of writing expertise. Surely all those lost hours must come to some good besides distraction?

Deleting my Emails, I almost press the button when I read: ‘YOU’VE WON!’

I am the lucky owner of a small generator. Even better, the $1400 machine, complete with groovy accessories pack, has arrived.

Even better than that; it works so well and so easily, even I can get it started.

I wouldn’t have had the confidence to enter the competition if I hadn’t been replying with so many brief, but somewhat witty, comments on Facebook and Twitter.

I’ve been gloating ever since; jumping like a seven year-old on their birthday.

At first that stand was only a place to get out of the wind.

There are benefits to time wasting.

Thank you social media.

In my mind, PSMTW or, Prolonged Social Media Time Wasting, is now almost completely justified.

I won.

Really.

Feels good.

Daughter takes my photo for the company’s LinkedIn and Facebook social media pages.

“You look silly mum, can’t you stop squinting?”

“No, the sun is n my eyes.”

“Alright, do something with your hands then. Touch the inverter thingummy.”

Blinded by weekend morning light, I hover my hands about in a terrible impersonation of a TV Shopping guide hostess.

My daughter cracks up and screams: “That’s the one mum; you look like a deranged rapper.”

And I do.

Talking with my hands and being silly is something I am good at.

Therese Ralston

Written by

Writing about the real life, farm life, reading life, birdlife, wildlife, pet life and school life I have in my life. My blog: birdlifesaving.com

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