We tend to put our best foot forward on Facebook. But here are some things you shouldn’t post:

  • Our mugshot, after we’ve been arrested for running naked around our ex’s condo.
  • High school yearbook picture where we showed off our killer sideburns.
  • Photos from our second week at the Motel 6 in Muncie, Indiana.
  • Any photos of us taken before we’ve had our morning coffee.
  • Video of us literally crying over spilled milk.
  • Written instructions for stealing our catalytic converter. 
  • Pictures of us standing in front of our workplace (in case process servers are having trouble finding us). 
  • The blog we wrote describing our colonoscopy.
  • Nostalgic photo of what an office used to look like.
  • All the photos from our trip to Branson, Missouri, where we were shocked by the performers who are still alive.
  • Video of us texting while we take tight turns on Lower Wacker Drive.
  • Video of us drinking directly from the milk container.
  • Photo of our cellphone at the bottom of the bathtub we just filled.
  • Nostalgic photo of what a classroom used to look like.
  • Photo of the coffee stain that looks like the Virgin Mary, crying. 
  • Our annual family portrait taken at Thornton’s gas station. 
  • Photo of the time we snuck our garbage into our neighbor’s container.
  • Video of us dropping an entire Happy Meal on someone’s front lawn.
  • Our date of birth, Social Security number and PIN numbers after betting that no one will actually steal our identity. 
  • That selfie we took in the holding cell. 
  • Any video of me swinging a golf club.
  • Any footage of us dancing at a wedding reception. 
  • Our third-grade report card with all of those “Unsatisfactory” check marks. 
  • Any photos taken of us during the ’60s, ’70s and ’80s — especially the ’80s. 
  • Video of our failure to touch our nose during the field sobriety test. 
  • Group photo of our family’s Easter brunch at White Castle. 
  • Video of our rant at the T-ball game insisting our 5-year-old grandson was safe at first.
  • Photo showing the bottle of hair dye we’re planning to use in faking our death. 
  • Photo of us wearing one black shoe and one brown shoe because we got dressed in the dark. 
  • Our rap sheet, which includes a murder conviction for beating this joke to death. 

John Rice

John Rice is a columnist/novelist who has seen his family thrive in Forest Park. He has published two books set in the village: The Ghost of Cleopatra and The Doll with the Sad Face.