Real Life

     So I have been thinking about social media.  For the most part I enjoy it.  I find it nice to keep up with friends on Facebook, and I have fun looking at pictures on Instagram.  Reading blogs gives me lots to think about and great perspective.  There's one thing, though.  For the most part everyone, through these social media outlets, puts out their best.  Of course.  We post about the good moments that we have and show pictures where everything looks perfect.  Who wants to tell about their less than perfect moments or post pictures of their messy houses?  Although I know this, it can be so disheartening to see the best that others are putting out there and then look around my own home and family and see all of the things I wish were better.
     While feeling this way, I started wondering how my own social media is coming across.  Whoo-boy!  I have lots of blog posts with these great moments of clarity coming from difficult moments in my life.  I have pictures posted where my kids are being cute and sweet and my husband and I look like the perfect couple.  My statues updates are typically upbeat and positive, and my interactions with people are pretty good.
     Okay, here's the deal.  When you look at my pictures, realize that the ones I post are the ones of very  many less than perfect ones that were rejected.  My husband and I are a good couple (and good for one another), but we are far from perfect (what is a perfect couple anyway?).  We do have cute, sweet kids, but they are not always cute and sweet - they definitely have their moments.  Most of all, though, those great moments of clarity that I blog about?  Yeah - well I'm not nearly as virtuous as I may come across.  Typically those ideas come from other people - really great spiritual directors and good confessors.  I am very blessed to have REALLY holy priests in my life, and I listen to them.  And yes, it helps.  So I blog about it.  I'm not trying to claim their ideas as my own, but anyone reading what I write should realize that all of these great inspirations are really because God has blessed me abundantly with the tools He has placed in my life.
     So, in the interest of being more open and honest about the reality of life, I have decided to compose a list of the not so perfect stuff in my life.  Here goes:
1)  My house is usually a mess.
2)  I don't always do what Flylady says.
3)  I've yelled at my kids to quit yelling.
4)  I read the Hunger Games.
5)  I liked the Hunger Games.
6)  I read the Hunger Games again.
7)  I skipped to the end of the Hunger Games and read the quasi-happy again.
8)  I have fantasized about doing mean things when my husband threw his dirty clothes on the ground (again).
9)  After getting mad at my husband for throwing his dirty clothes on the ground, I threw my dirty clothes on the ground.
10)  After proclaiming the virtues of Montessori education, I let my two year old son watch a Netflix video because it kept him occupied and I wanted a few moments of peace.
11)  I drink WAY too much chocolate milk.
12)  We eat at McDonalds on occasion.
13)  When going to Confession, I never, EVER have a hard time coming up with things to confess.
14)  I have wished it was morally acceptable to hire a hit man.
15)  I have wished it was morally acceptable to call people bad words.
16)  When my husband was feeling guilty tonight because his professor died (!) and he didn't get the chance to send that professor good wishes before he died, instead of offering words of encouragement, I told him, "Well it's too late now!"
17)  I hate a store with a passion.  I'm not going to say the name of that store, but I will say that it starts with a "W" and ends in "mart."

     Okay, the list goes on and on.  Do you get the picture?  But here's the thing.  I love my husband, and I love my kids.  I really am trying to do my best to be a good wife and a good mother.  Our home is not perfect, but it is not awful either.  I may have a need for confession, but so does everyone else too (aside from Jesus and Blessed Mother).  So, all in all I'd say we're doing pretty well.  Since I suspect that the vast majority of people are about like me, I think that I'm going to think back on this blog post the next time I see someone else's perfect pictures and start to feel badly.  Besides, I was just brave enough to post my list.  ;-)

(Number 18 on my list - I use emoticons in blog posts.  It's fun.  That is all.)