This year has been a challenge. Difficult? ...Different from all the rest. (Perhaps that is even an understatement... ) And even though I'm generally not a superstitious person... I sometimes wonder if I should have seen it coming. A whole year of thirteen? Yes. I should have seen it coming.
I'm not in my usual body. I'm not in my usual mind. I'm behind on everything times ten. And places like pinterest and happy little travel blogs send me spiraling. The clothes. The hair. The shoes. The afternoon outings. The happy little pictures of smiling families in exotic locations. The adventures... I dream about all of it - but it's nowhere on the horizon. My horizon is firmly rooted. With a budget. And vinyl siding. And potty training. And weight gain. And endless requests. And running slow whilst pushing two children in a jogger and coaxing one on a bike. It's kind of not glamorous in the slightest.
But I remind myself that people have been around for a very long time. (Longer than pinterest.) And they've been happy to. But for the majority of that time there was more un-glamour than glamour. ...So logically, happy can't be tied only to glamour. And then I remind myself that I'm happiest with small renewable sources of energy - like good conversation and windy days, or evenings with family. Or bike rides with the pirates and breakfasts with Squish.
...just the basics.
Sometimes it's good to remind ourselves that all the pretty blogs we see and lovely things on pinterest and smiling children and amazing vacations are only part of the whole picture. I would guess that the people behind those things that make us a bit green with envy are looking at other blogs thinking the same things, and probably wish at times for a nice, quiet (possibly cloudy?) afternoon with their children where they don't have anything else to do. And although I love pinterest I have to confess that half the stuff I see makes me feel like so many things have turned in to a competition as to who can throw the biggest/fanciest party or have the cutest house and show it off. And just so you know at times I read your blog and think "She's so gorgeous! Her kids are so happy! She is so skinny! Her pictures are beautiful! Her home is beautiful!" and I turn a bit green with envy. :)
ReplyDelete...and then I read your blog and think the same thing. :) Glad to know we're in it together!
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