First of all, this photo just cracks me up every time I look at it......this is so typical of my little monkeys!! But the photo really has nothing to do with what has been on my mind lately, so moving on :-)
I came across this quote today, and as quotes often do, it struck me, and I sat back and really thought about how it pertains to my life right now.
"Be Yourself; Everyone else is already taken." - Oscar Widle
It's sort of a tongue and cheek statement, but the sentiment is something that I often need to be reminded of. I've mentioned before that I am an avid blog reader. I could get lost for hours looking at other women's pictures, ideas, crafts, decor, recipes, etc... I get "virtual" peeks inside their lives, and if I am being honest, I immediately start comparing myself to them: am I crafty enough? do my photos measure up? are my closets as organized? am I as stylish? creative? motherly? romantic? talented? have I read the right books? have I cooked the right meals? You get the idea.
There is a very thin line between inspiration and envy, and it is a balance that I personally have had a hard time achieving. I have found so much joy in the world of blogging (both writing and reading), but I have also felt the green-eyed monster rearing its ugly head at times. And that is why the Oscar Widle quote came in so handy for me this morning, it reminded me of what I already know........I can only be the best ME that I can be.
For me, that means allowing myself to be inspired by other's ideas, but stopping when I begin to feel a sense of urgency or panic, a sense that I will be less-than if I don't accomplish "XYZ." It means allowing myself to look at pretty pictures and to read beautiful words, but to remind myself that I am never getting an accurate picture of someone's life through their blog.....we are all putting our best selves forward, showing the best of what our lives have to offer, and that is what drew me to blogging in the first place. It reminds me that love really is in the details, that there is beauty in our every day lives, and that relationships are really all that matter. I can only be the best me that I can be.....everyone else is already taken.
6 comments:
I can't quite remember how I came upon your blog, we have never met, so hopefully this doesn't freak you out!
But this post I love because I often feel the same thing, only in regards to your blog. You take beautiful pictures, you are so crafty, darling kids, gorgeous house.....you get the idea.
Basically what I am saying is you are inspiring to me, very real, and I love your blog!
Hope you don't think I am some kind of nut, promise I am not!!
Check out this blog...you will LOVE it:
http://tandsdaybook.blogspot.com/
I LOVE reading your blog Kristy! :) You are such a good mom and SO talented in everything you do. I get a little overwhelmed sometimes when I read other blogs too because I feel the exact way you described in this post. I think that is completely natural though in our role as a wife and a mom. Our blogs are our own personal way to express ourselves. :)
I am so glad that you posted this reminder:-) And I LOVE the quote (I actually was in desperate need for a quote just like that for something Jax is dealing with at school)....but this reminded me of something that I saw at the Fair this Fall that really gave me pause:
I saw this couple having an argument. The wife was screaming at her husband and then she proceeded to whip out her beautiful camera and force the family to take a smiley/posed/fake feeding the animals at the petting zoo pic for "her blog"....They never actually fed, nor pet any animals, and I KNOW that no one in that family was feeling particularly smiley at the time...She just needed the false memory for posterity.
This really got me thinking.....Somebody is gonna get on that lady's blog and feel bad that they didn't take their family to the Fair and have a perfect little family outing like her.....As a society,why do we feel pressured to create these perfect, staged, false memories to send out to the masses? Do I do that? Am I being authentic? Why can't we all just be real? It's one of the things that I appreciate most about you, Kristy. You share beautiful things on your blog (which I love), but you are also not afraid to admit your struggles. It is refreshing!!
I may be ready to start my own blog now....I think I'll call it "The Ugly Truth....It's a Beautiful Thing" Haha! Or maybe I'll just stick with the blog in my head:-)
i totally agree. i was super tempted to take a picture of my family room today after the kiddos had emptied two giant bins of toys out all over the floor, just to capture the authenticity of my house in its true, disastrous form. it's not pretty, but it's real.
I love this entry...and I love all the additional comments left by others! It's really interesting what the digital world has done to us women, isn't it? Our moms didn't feel these pressures--they just wanted a clean house, some lipstick on at the end of the day and the perfect pot roast! Not to say that wasn't a struggle for them, but now we face those challenges and oh-so-many more when measuring ourselves among the MILLIONS of women we now have access to on the internet. Makes us feel like we have to be a superstar or else we're not really succeeding in life. I hate that pressure. And somedays, I really hate the internet and think, 'I'm just going to be the perfect Leslee inside the walls of my perfect kingdom...my very own home. Because everyone here thinks I'm the bomb!' And I smile to myself, grab a cookie (so what if I have to work it off at zumba that night!!) and look through photos I've taken of the little people who make me so happy. I love your quote, I find YOU to be such a great woman! ;) Thanks for sharing...
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