Life As Everyone Wants Us To Know It

FB:
"Oh my gosh!  These carrot sticks are divine!  I love eating healthy!"

Reality:
They just downed 50 Cheeto Puffs.

Rationalization: 
Cheeto Puffs look like carrot sticks.  And they are divine.


FB:
I'm so excited to run my 50 millionth marathon!

Reality:
They take a picture at the finish line with sweat they earned...walking to the finish line from their car.

Rationalization:
I'm not actually going to run a freaking marathon!  You kidding me?  But everyone else is.  So I should, too.  Even if it is just in my mind.

FB:
I love being a mom.  It's the greatest thing in the world.

Reality:
Probably just got pooped on.  And slapped by a two year old.  And probably have sixty loads of laundry sitting in the middle of their living room floor.  And probably, they haven't showered in 5 days.  And probably, that smell is them.

Rationalization:
Reality sucks.

FB:
"I feel fabulous after pushing out my 15 pound baby!  I could run home from the hospital if they let me!  I even brought my size 2 jogging pants just in case!  They totally fit me!"

Reality:
Probably wearing a size two DIAPER to catch all the blood leaking out of their hoo hoo.  The only running going on is down their leg.  You know what fits them?  That mumu they've already leaked a gallon of milk all over.

Rationalization:
Reality sucks.


Kelly's Corner (This is where I go to spout out my opinion.  I.e., this entire blog is my corner.)

It's really wonderful that people live these perfect lives.  But I don't.  Not even close.  Most of the time I am deliriously happy.  I have awesome friends, a great guy, cute kids, and a McDonalds right up the street from me.

We have little debt, a nice home.  Strong testimonies.  Food in the pantry.

We have a good life.  But that doesn't mean that sometimes it doesn't suck.  Sometimes our life is horribly difficult.

Sometimes my perfect husband is one insensitive comment away from getting a hatchet in his head.

Sometimes my cute kids are covered in marker from head to toe.  And stink to high heaven.  And scream at me.  Sometimes they even say they hate our house.  They call me a mean mom.  Often, they don't eat all their vegetables.

Sometimes I cry for hours.  Go to bed at 6.  Let the kids stay up way past their bedtime so that Brett has to put them to sleep when he gets home from Young Mens, and I can just go to bed.

We get take out two times a week.  Most of the time.

I eat out for lunch way  more than I should.

My running consists of diving for the last bag of Cheeto Puffs before the two stoners reaching out for it nabs it.  Seriously, I did this.

I wear pajamas to WalMart.

I only get to wash my hair about once a week, sometimes twice.  I do, at least, try to minimize my stench if I'm going out in public.

What I'm saying is, I truly believe most of what we read on blogs and Facebook is what people want us to believe their lives are like.  There's nothing wrong with this.  Selective truth is still truth. Like I said, I have a great husband.  Take from that what you will.

Don't be bummed by what others say.  Maybe their life is perfect.  Probably it's not.

I think President Uchtdorf's now famous talk says it best:

"Everyone has strengths and weaknesses.

It's wonderful that you have strengths.

And it is part of your mortal experience that you do have weaknesses."

I have my strengths, friends.  So do you.  I'm terribly jealous of so many of my friends' strengths.  But I know that like me, they have their weaknesses.  I hope we all realize that life is beautiful, and ugly, and fun, and difficult, and totally worth it.  No matter who you are.  And your life is your life.  Don't compare it to others.  Because what you're comparing it to actually doesn't exist.

Reality is...a bag of Cheeto's, sweaty pits, bloody show.  It's also lazy mornings, singing together, laughing hysterically, games, car rides, vacations, and a million other absolutely wonderful moments.

C'est La Vie!  Live it!  Love it!  And maybe, just maybe, you'll get to sleep in...one day...