In A Perfect World...on Social Media Anyway!
In a perfect world, we grow up, get married to our best friend, have a good career, beautiful children, healthy family, and then move into the time of our life where we have the most awesome grandchildren ever, a good plan for retirement, and are enjoying the fruits of our labor.
But what if you don't live in that perfect world? And really, who does? What if you have had some setbacks along that road. What if you aren't looking at retirement with great anticipation because your good plan wasn't so great, and you won't have what you need to live comfortably? What if there are health issues plaguing your family? What if that marriage didn't evolve as it was supposed to?
Recently, it has hit me that I have a lot of friends who are not living in the perfect world. No matter what we may see on social media, sometimes there are problems in people's perfect worlds. And I don't think we would be surprised if we knew how imperfect most people's lives are! People are not perfect. Why would we expect their lives to be perfect? And as I just reread what I have written so far, I need to say this...My life is very imperfect. In fact, it's kind of dysfunctional right now. And you know what? This confuses me. It confuses me because it wasn't supposed to be this way.
I've always tried to live a good life, be a positive, helpful person. I've always enjoyed a spiritual life which has helped me through my life. I've worked hard since I was 14. So why? Why has my life not turned out like I had planned. Life has confused me with an imperfect world.
And speaking of perfect lives, I feel that social media has played a pretty dirty trick on most of us. If, like myself, you only post the good stuff in your life, it looks like you are living the perfect life. Your children and grandchildren are perfect, beautiful, and super smart. Your husband is the greatest husband who ever lived, and you are a Superwoman! And yes, I am guilty of this! But this is because I prefer NOT to post all of the ugly things that happen to us. The dysfunctional side of my life doesn't make it to the pages of Instagram and Facebook. It doesn't even really make it into this blog. So as I scroll through Facebook and Instagram every day....multiple times a day if I'm being honest....I see all of my friends doing awesome things, #mylifeissogreat, that I think I must be doing something wrong to not be living the life they are living! But, as I have recently talked to some of those friends, I have found out that their lives are pretty dysfunctional sometimes, too! It's not all #perfectlife or #cleaverfamily. It only seems to be perfect in pictures and posts!
So if I, a grown woman, feels this way, how do the younger generations feel? How is this impacting our children/grandchildren? This is pretty disturbing to me quite honestly! But social media is here to stay, and I can't do anything about it. I actually love social media. I really do! So it is truly going to be up to parents to teach their children how to react to it, and how to avoid having it become a problem in their lives.
I like what Steven Furtick says:
For anyone else who feels like I do about our imperfect lives, you probably, like myself, have not sat down, and listed your blessings. Has life been unfair to me? No. Not at all. Has life lived up to my expectations? No. Not at all. Is it my fault? Is it my spouse's fault? No. Not at all. Life has happened, and maybe I made some bad decisions along the way. Maybe I could have taken different roads and ended up at a very different place. But I didn't, and I won't look back and try to figure out what went wrong. I still have those beautiful (they would probably prefer Handsome) children, and the most awesome grandchildren ever! That's huge right there! I still have a job so I can pay my bills, and I still have my parents, at 89 years young! So I am making a statement right now, declaring that I will no longer envy my friends on social media. I will not feel inferior or like I am missing something in my life. Will I continue to post pictures of my supposed perfect life? You betcha! I love bragging about my Punkins, and I love posting about my running and fitness accomplishments...mostly because I sometimes can't quite believe it's me doing some of these things! Will I start posting about the dysfunctional parts of my life? Nope! You can bet I won't! It's my personal business and no one else's!
But what if you don't live in that perfect world? And really, who does? What if you have had some setbacks along that road. What if you aren't looking at retirement with great anticipation because your good plan wasn't so great, and you won't have what you need to live comfortably? What if there are health issues plaguing your family? What if that marriage didn't evolve as it was supposed to?
Recently, it has hit me that I have a lot of friends who are not living in the perfect world. No matter what we may see on social media, sometimes there are problems in people's perfect worlds. And I don't think we would be surprised if we knew how imperfect most people's lives are! People are not perfect. Why would we expect their lives to be perfect? And as I just reread what I have written so far, I need to say this...My life is very imperfect. In fact, it's kind of dysfunctional right now. And you know what? This confuses me. It confuses me because it wasn't supposed to be this way.
I've always tried to live a good life, be a positive, helpful person. I've always enjoyed a spiritual life which has helped me through my life. I've worked hard since I was 14. So why? Why has my life not turned out like I had planned. Life has confused me with an imperfect world.
And speaking of perfect lives, I feel that social media has played a pretty dirty trick on most of us. If, like myself, you only post the good stuff in your life, it looks like you are living the perfect life. Your children and grandchildren are perfect, beautiful, and super smart. Your husband is the greatest husband who ever lived, and you are a Superwoman! And yes, I am guilty of this! But this is because I prefer NOT to post all of the ugly things that happen to us. The dysfunctional side of my life doesn't make it to the pages of Instagram and Facebook. It doesn't even really make it into this blog. So as I scroll through Facebook and Instagram every day....multiple times a day if I'm being honest....I see all of my friends doing awesome things, #mylifeissogreat, that I think I must be doing something wrong to not be living the life they are living! But, as I have recently talked to some of those friends, I have found out that their lives are pretty dysfunctional sometimes, too! It's not all #perfectlife or #cleaverfamily. It only seems to be perfect in pictures and posts!
So if I, a grown woman, feels this way, how do the younger generations feel? How is this impacting our children/grandchildren? This is pretty disturbing to me quite honestly! But social media is here to stay, and I can't do anything about it. I actually love social media. I really do! So it is truly going to be up to parents to teach their children how to react to it, and how to avoid having it become a problem in their lives.
I like what Steven Furtick says:
For anyone else who feels like I do about our imperfect lives, you probably, like myself, have not sat down, and listed your blessings. Has life been unfair to me? No. Not at all. Has life lived up to my expectations? No. Not at all. Is it my fault? Is it my spouse's fault? No. Not at all. Life has happened, and maybe I made some bad decisions along the way. Maybe I could have taken different roads and ended up at a very different place. But I didn't, and I won't look back and try to figure out what went wrong. I still have those beautiful (they would probably prefer Handsome) children, and the most awesome grandchildren ever! That's huge right there! I still have a job so I can pay my bills, and I still have my parents, at 89 years young! So I am making a statement right now, declaring that I will no longer envy my friends on social media. I will not feel inferior or like I am missing something in my life. Will I continue to post pictures of my supposed perfect life? You betcha! I love bragging about my Punkins, and I love posting about my running and fitness accomplishments...mostly because I sometimes can't quite believe it's me doing some of these things! Will I start posting about the dysfunctional parts of my life? Nope! You can bet I won't! It's my personal business and no one else's!
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