Recently, I received a comment on social media that sparked the idea for this post. I posted a picture of dinner. (Take out from Central Market)
The comment read, “Do you leave the take out containers out? When did it become socially acceptable to be so real with our husbands?” I responded with, “when I work a full time job, I’m in the middle of parent-teacher conferences, my schedule is full and let’s face it… I.Am.Exhausted.” When I get home from a ridiculously long day, the last thing I want to do is cook! Not to mention, it’s almost the year 2017! I was just proud that take out was grilled chicken and veggies from Central Market instead of the usual Taco Casa…
Although I know it was a joke and she was kidding around, it made me wonder what happened to women along the way that led us to believe that we have to be “perfect”… or even give the impression that we are? Why should we be judged for eating take out instead of eating a home cooked meal. Who said we have to keep a perfect, clean house, cook healthy home cooked meals every single day, decorate our houses as seen on Fixer Upper, work full time jobs, keep a super fit body, grocery shop, run errands and do all this while trying to take care of ourselves and our families. We can do anything, but we can’t do everything!
Don’t worry. This isn’t a post about women’s lib or women’s rights. This is post to say that in this day and age, in the age of social media… where my Facebook newsfeed blows up with pretty, seemingly perfect pictures of: people, their families, cute kids, adorable selfies, delicious food, new cars, big houses, snagging the perfect job, incredible vacations & fun experiences, it becomes easy to compare. I think we are only human and it happens sometimes. Once in awhile, as you’re scrolling for miles through your newsfeed on Facebook, Instagram or Snapchat, you start comparing your life to others. We only get a snapshot of someone’s life on social media. A small glimpse into their world. The perception we give off or the view we have of someone else’s life doesn’t necessarily mean their life or ours is perfect. At least, mine isn’t! Let’s be honest, we pick & choose what we want to share with others and what we want the world to see. Most of the time, we choose the “picture perfect” moments like these:
Now don’t get me wrong. I love sharing pretty, perfect pictures with the world. I am the first to snap pictures and to post them. I love pretty pictures just like the next girl. But I hope through my pictures, you’ll see the real me.
Perhaps if we shared more real moments we would realize that we are all in this together. We are all just doing our best to make it in this world. Sometimes, we are just doing our best to make it through the day!
I pride myself on “keeping it real” with my husband. Now, I’m here, “keeping it real” with you, friends! I thought I’d share a few fun facts about all the things that I’m not perfect at. Things I’m actually…really, really bad at…
Numero Uno… Washing Tupperware in the dishwasher. Call me lazy. But I don’t care. This is one that pushes Colt’s buttons. I know if he unloads the dishwasher and sees Tupperware in there, I’m going to have to hear one of his speeches on why you should never put Tupperware in the dishwasher or how another Tupperware lid got melted & destroyed because once again I put it in the dishwasher. Whatevs, bro.
Dos. Cooking dinner on the reg. Who has time for that? My favorite thing to do when I get home from work is grab a snack, lay on the couch and scroll through my phone while watching tv. So what. (In my defense, I am in charge of 19 little lives daily. That should count for something!)
I love one pan dinner meals! So quick! So easy!
Which brings me to #3. I’m really bad at watching a ridiculous amount of tv. I watch it for hours and hours. There is so much recorded on my DVR. My brain is turning to mush. And I don’t mind.
4. I’m bad at being on my phone. Yes, yes, I know I need to enjoy the moment. I’m the first to admit I’m addicted to my phone. Laying on the couch? On my phone. Out to eat? On my phone. Stopped at a red light? On my phone. Sitting on the toilet… most likely I’m on my phone. Hey…. I’m working on it!!!!!!!!!
5. So you’d think since my phone is pretty much glued to my hands that I’d respond quickly to text messages. Nope. WRONG. Answering text messages is not a strength of mine. Actually. Answering group texts is even worse. I don’t do it. Have you seen the meme that says “I’ve never been to jail but I’ve been stuck in a group text”? That’s my life. I don’t know what it is about group texts but I probably won’t respond in a jiffy. Sorry not sorry.
6. I need to work on my bedtime. I know how important it is to get a good night’s rest. I hardly go to bed at a decent time. Considering my first alarm goes off at 5:05 every morning, you’d think I’d be in bed early. Nahhh. Someone tell me, what does 8 hours of sleep feel like? Will I ever learn? Probably not.
7. Drinking Dr. Pepper is another bad habit. Yes I know it’s bad for me. Yes I know how many calories it has. Yes I know it’s full of high fructose corn syrup. Yuummmm. High fructose corn syrup tastes delicious. Maybe Lent 2017 will be the end of Dr. Pepper. Probably not though. It’s okay to have dreams…
Ocho. Working out. It’s the worst. We have a love hate relationship. I always feel better after working out. It’s just the getting there that’s the problem. I’m always too tired. Too lazy. Too unmotivated. If I make it to workout once a week I call that a win. If only working out was as easy as eating…
9. I know more lyrics to inappropriate rap songs than I know bible verses. Jesus, forgive me.
10. Another thing I’m bad at. Biting my nails. I’ve had this habit since I was a wee tot. It’s the worst. Colt hates hearing my crunching of nails. Speaking of… my nails look so ratchet right now. Ugh.
11. Having a green thumb. I don’t have one. I tried decorating my front porch with a festive fall wreath, pumpkins, gourds and mums. Let’s put it this way, 2 mums have fried and died. The whole remembering to water it every day is a prob.
12. I’m bad at eating my veggies every day. Colt and my sisters will tell you. I’m a small child. Who wants to eat veggies?! Not me. Every day I pack up veggies and have goals of consuming them at lunch. Every day my veggies come back home in my lunchbox. One time, I packed up this delicious salad with spinach, spring mix, olives, walnuts, avocado & all the works. I dumped it in the trash when lunch time rolled around. I literally took one look at it and thought to myself “gross”.
13. Depth perception. Once I pulled into my garage after work. I thought I pulled in far enough until I heard the screeching of the garage door on the top of my car and then the smashing of my bumper. Classy.
So enough about that. I also have some things that I am good at!
- Eating an entire bag of these in one sitting. Hashtag organic.
- I’m great at not finishing books for my book club.
- Washing my hair once a week.
- Arriving late everywhere I go.
So there you have it. The next time you see a perfect picture of mine, you won’t have an unrealistic expectation of what my life is like or what your life should look like. Instead, you will know that I am perfectly imperfect. That I probably am laying on the couch eating take out.. the unhealthy kind. All these bad habits are what make me, ME. I am a work in progress.
After writing this, I have realized I need to be on my phone less, in the moment more, eat healthier foods, drink more water and remind myself that we are all in this together.
Cut yourself a break. Don’t beat yourself up. Adulting is hard work!
Always keeping it real. And real classy.
Love you all!
Meet the Mirandas 