Rose Colored Glasses

One thing is for certain, and that is in 2017 I learned to not let the way other people went about their day to interfere with how I was going to live my best life. The day that I decided this was another sunny day in California, when I realized that far too many people are just straight up disrespectful for absolutely no reason at all. There was a matter of weeks that led up to this monumental day that I decided to stop giving a fuck about what other people did or said, and those weeks were full of sleepless nights, self help books and a copious amount of wine.

You would've never known that I was hurting though, because social media showed you differently.

I do a lot of thinking, probably more than the average person a day. Some would argue that it is my biggest flaw, I however, beg to differ. Do you remember when we were younger and everybody who was some body would ask you that dreaded question, "what do you want to be when you grow up?" Do you remember how quickly you would rattle off an answer to satisfy the person looking at you, just to see a smile of approval or some sort of words of affirmation that you were right on track?

Social media is our way to show everyone who ever asked us what we wanted to be when we grow up, that we are actually out there, living out that dream. It is a way to show everyone that we have lost touch with over the years that we are doing just fine, getting promotions at our dream job, eating healthy and saying no to every piece of junk food that comes our way, in a perfect relationship that has no flaws, with a dog that doesn't shed and chew up expensive things in a house that doesn't have mice or spiders.

WHY.

I get it, nobody hangs hard times on the wall. However, I want to personally apologize for leading you to believe that I have never had a bad day. I want to apologize for posting so much about my personal life, that there are people who have never even met me that think that they  know my whole story. 

The truth is, you have no idea. None of us do. 

We live in a world that if you show any sign of weakness, you are not strong. If you show any type of emotion, you are 'too emotional.' If you complain, people judge, instead of extending a helping hand. If you are sad, people don't know how to console you. 

We live in a time where everyone wears rose colored glasses, showing only the beauty and hiding all of the truth. 

To an extent, this is amazing. We live our days thinking that every one around us is happier than they were the day before. However, then we begin to think that everything we are seeing on social media is the whole truth. We see Instagram stories of perfect babies who are always smiling, while you sit at home and hold a baby who has cried for hours on end. We see people getting promoted, while your position was just terminated right before the holidays. We see people getting fit and making it look so easy, when the thought of eating kale makes you personally want to throw a fit. We see people getting engaged, while the only thing you're engaging in is the next season of This Is Us. 

My challenge for myself, and to you, is to take off the rose colored glasses. Be a good friend, partner, parent or neighbor. Don't make assumptions by what you see on social media, and for the love of God, don't compare yourself to others. Be happy with where you are at in your life, whether that is in limbo with your career, parenthood or your relationship, and know that even though your life may not be as perfect as the girl you sat next to in History class six years ago via her Instagram, that you are living your best damn life every day, and as long as you can honestly say that then you are right on track.