Tuesday, February 8, 2011

why blogs are misleading

I have to constantly remind myself that peoples' blog lives are just a glimpse of their real lives.

Cause nobody lives a perfect life all of the time.
Right?

Lives filled with finished renovated benches.
And snow covered barns outside your window, while you sit in front of a fireplace sipping organic tea.
And perfectly knitted sweaters.
And family dinners where everyone is happy and eating their vegetables.
And the perfect thrifted find, that fits, just so, into a room.

The best we can hope for are moments of perfection.
Moments where you realize that all is good.

For example, take this picture.
What you see:

A smiling girl
eating lunch
while playing go fish
with her mommy.

Such a perfect moment.

What you don't see:

the 17 arguments we have already had, mostly about whining
the laundry sitting in the corner
the kitten leaving puncture wounds in our legs
the fact she is still in her jammies and I am stressed cause we have to leave in like 15 minutes for school
the disasterous state of our kitchen
the pile of toys littering the living room
the (alarmingly large) dust bunnies in the corner
my mind, going a million miles and hour with the 26 things I need to do in the 2.5 hours she is in school
and
the argument we had about eating something green for lunch.
But mommy!  I don't like edamame.
It's yucky!
Eww!

Don't get me wrong.
I love to read about peoples lives.
And all the wonderful things in them.
I am amazed at the creativity and love that is out there.
And, I'm not gonna lie,
often jealous.
I have not a creative bone in my body.

However, I find that I like reading best about the everyday things.
What breakfast looks like.
What messes others deal with.
What the inside of a minivan looks like.
(and under no circumstances am I ever showing you the inside of my car.)

There are women out there I have never met who I send Christmas cards to.
Women who, I am convinced, would be dear friends if we lived close.
I love that.

I love the blog world.
And all it has taught me.
Period.




6 comments:

shelley c. said...

Right back atcha, my friend!! Amen.

C. Beth said...

Love this--so true! (As I look at the depressingly messy living room & kitchen I've got right now....) I linked to this on Twitter & FB.

Unknown said...

I followed a link from C.Beth to your post. You are so right that most of us just portray the positive things about our lives on our blogs. I know I edit myself so I don't sound whiny all time, and I sacrifice a clean house so that I can have a little me time on the internet. Just don't look under my couch (or the hamper or the bathroom) and I won't look under yours. ;-)

SurvivorBlessing said...

Found the post through C.Beth. Very nice blog post! It's so true! And believe me, we all have perfect houses.... right!???
Well, if you come to my house, there are toys in the living room as we speak (write), there are four laundry baskets, unfolded, the dishes in the dish washer,.... dusting? what's that? etc.... you get the idea!
But I am sitting here, reading and writing while the kids are taking a nap / quiet time! Love it! And wouldn't even think of working right now....
I will check your blog out more often!

forever folding laundry said...

Um, yeah.
The laundry mountain is piled high,
the floor is in DIRE need of a mop,
and my kitchen window is so dirty I can hardly see out of it.

It's definitely not pretty.

And, you're right. If we lived close we'd probably have a standing Starbucks date every week. {And my laundry pile would be even greater.}
:)

~Keri

abby said...

Isn't that the truth!! A wonderful post as always.