Picture Perfect

per·fec·tion

/pərˈfekSH(ə)n

noun

1. the condition, state, or quality of being free or as free as possible from all flaws or defects.

A while back someone mentioned to me that they were going to take a break from social media. They continued by saying that when they spent time on social media, they felt as though they were not enough. They were struggling to keep up with housework and take care of the kids.  That’s the reason for this post. I want YOU to know YOU ARE ENOUGH. I am guilty of using filters.  I do some creative cropping. However, this is our real world. It is far from perfect, yet it is perfect for us. Your world is perfect too.  It is ok to have mismatched clothes. It is ok to have bed head and sticky faces. Realness is perfection. We are all enough don’t let those flawless accounts fool you.  Don’t cheat your own happiness  by comparing yourself to others.

How many times a day do you get on Facebook, Instagram or Pinterest and look at all the “perfectness”? Is that even a word? You might notice the sparkling clean and freshly decorated houses. Bright shiny faces with dazzling hair and perfectly matched clothes. How about those at home chefs preparing and serving meals that are magazine quality. Is this reality? For some maybe. However, I would say that most things displayed on social media is just that, a display. There are an amazing amount of “picture perfect” performances going on out there. Let your reality, be your perfection.

When I make a post on Instagram or Facebook, I do it for me. It is my “journal”, my “look back log”. I don’t post it to make someone feel less or to compare my world to someone else’s.  I might have a few good pictures with bright shiny faces and adorable outfits, but mostly I have day to day shots of our life. As a homeschooling momma, life is quite busy. Between lessons, field trips, co-op meet-ups and sporting activities our days are full. My house is somewhat neat and organized most of the time.  However, it is in need of a pretty good deep cleaning at this moment.  I am anxiously awaiting the arrival of spring and the commencement of my annual cleaning frenzy. For the time being it is not Pinterest perfect and that is ok. I am still going to take too many pictures. When I see a photo op,  I am going to take it. My child will not be dressed in his finest attire. You should know, my son wears jogging pants and graphic tees 99.9% of the time. Let’s be real, most days he runs around without a shirt. I am pretty sure I say   “please put on a shirt” 10 times a day. Rarely is his hair combed. On those days when I want to grab a picture of a special event or project I always double check to make sure he is at least clothed. As for the hair, let’s be real, he is eleven. I also take care of a little girl. She is what we affectionately refer to as a “threenager”. She is the perfect combination of cuteness and sass. She has been in my care since she was a baby and is pretty much part of our family. Most of the time she has Einstein like hair and cinnamon on her cheeks. Between the two of them we usually have books strewn about, toys in window sills and socks stuffed in baskets and jars.  I am positive that I am not the only individual out there who is maneuvering a mess to take a picture. We all have messes. It is ok.

Basically, I just wanted to share that no matter what is happening in your little world it is perfect and real for you. I want to encourage you to share. Post those amazing shots of block towers, Lego creations and first bites. Post those memories of  making spaghetti, burning the sugar cookies and wearing those watermelon helmets. Enjoy the messes and imperfections. Keep your own “look back” log. I promise that one day in the future you will look at one of your posts, probably the one where the kids are covered in mud and boogers, and you are going to smile. You will be glad that you saved that memory.  Don’t worry about what others are thinking or doing. Enjoy life. You are enough.

Take care of you,

Kim