Every morning I wake up, get my kids juice cups ready, waffles thrown in the toaster, cup of coffee made and sit down and scroll through Instagram and Facebook to see what my friends and family back in the states have been up to while I was sleeping. I love seeing the occasional engagements, birth announcements, and weddings. More often then not I see pictures of food I wish I was eating, scenery I dream of being in and kids that I love watching grow through the power of social media… The things you don’t see, is the reality behind all those moments.
I hear so many people say “Gosh, it’s so fake…. everything they post just looks so perfect and happy…” The thing is, I believe, for many people this is just a perception that people choose for the world to see. No one is perfect and life isn’t easy, and guess what? Social media isn’t the place people are reaaallly living most of their lives.
When I see a beautiful family picture it makes me smile, 10% of the smile coming from the beautiful picture, 90% coming from the probability that they took 100 horrible ones to get that perfect shot and that is where the story lies. We all do it. We want the world to see us at our bests, I know I’m guilty of it. There is nothing better then posting a status and having 50 likes, or posting a picture because your feeling extra good about yourself and having other people pat you on the back. Don’t even pretend like you don’t like the confirmation either, we are all human beings and we like to be liked. We like to be patted on the back for doing well, we need the affirmation in some twisted, weird way. Im all for it.
I have been asked, messaged, told several times “How do you do it all? You look like you have everything together so well?” Well let me tell you the truth. I don’t have it all together… in fact most days I’m running around like a chicken with my head cut off trying to remember what I was doing 2 second before. I am a woman who struggles with bouts of anxiety and depression and I make an honest effort every morning to fight myself for a great day, because I know I have it in me and the want for good overweighs the pull for sad. I have to drag my ass on a treadmill to workout because I know the feeling when I’m done with that workout will give me the power to get my house chores done and will clear my mind to make my perspective open up again for the day. I get overwhelmed and scream because sometimes being asked for a cup of water 6 times that I already poured 10 minutes ago drives me absolutely mental. I cry when I feel like I’m not doing good enough for my friends and family, only to be humbly reminded that I’m not superwoman. I am…. brace yourself…. human.
Social media never sees my highest highs or lowest lows, and not because they aren’t happening, but because the people who I want to see them are going through it with me. I let the world see the middle of my life… The silly, fun, vivacious side. My life runs much deeper then my workout posts, date night pictures and my kids doing funny things. Thats a HUGE part of my life, but its not all of it. Im not being fake by posting those few things, I’m actually being very real, by living my life.
I love the bigger picture of my life… If I didn’t go through the super high times and the super low times the middle times would have no meaning at all. I know when I post a cute picture of my kid that in my reality, 5 minutes before we were both probably at whits end with each other because I told them no more video games… I know that when I post a date night picture with my husband from 2 weeks ago its because I miss him while he’s working on the other side of the world…I know when I post a picture of myself in a swimsuit and look at it and pick my cellulite and stretch marks to pieces, the world isn’t. As much as I want the world to enjoy my life, I know my true story. Every single person has one, and every single one is told differently.
Just remember that when you see someone on a beautiful vacation, or looking fantastic in a new outfit…. There is a story there, we are just getting the opportunity to share that very moment with them. Complement them, enjoy it with them, or even better… ask them what is their story?!
Inspire.Believe.Succeed.
-Kinzy
Mom. Wife. Military Life. 
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