In a Perfect World

If I had my druthers, this website would have been populated with lots of wonderful posts full of wit and wonder, life and love, dreams and drama, (ok, I'll stop now) before I released a book advertising the blog address right there on the back of it.  Timing.  Blah.  Unfortunately, I was sideswiped by so much life and drama that I was at my wit's end.  Things didn't go as I planned.

I love blogs.  I don't actually "follow" many of them because I'm way too busy hoping people will be following mine (and parenting and what have you ;-)) but I do in fact, love them.  And I want mine to be good.  It doesn't have to be great.  It doesn't have to generate income and have four thousand ads flashing and scrolling in the margins.  I like a clean page.  Minimalistic.  But I want the content to be good and the overall feel to be encouraging, inspiring even, in the midst of the huge doses of reality because inspiration that doesn't work in real life quickly becomes condemnation, guilt, depression.  I don't know about you but I can spiral myself into those nasty places just fine without the help of "perfect world" blogs, thank you very much.  They are my least favorite blogs.

And you have to wonder, too, are those perfect people in their perfect families writing perfect blogs with perfect pictures of perfect life really...perfect?  Of course not.  I know that.  You know that.  We all know it somewhere inside but... don't you find yourself believing they are?  Just a little bit?  Or maybe even a lot?  Like enough that if you unexpectedly met them in the grocery store you would find yourself saying, "Oh my god, I love your blog!" right before PUNCHING THEM DIRECTLY IN THE FACE?  Is that just me?

Even their voices are perfect. 

What's that?  Yeah, I know I'm talking about blogs -communication in written form but when we read, we give people/characters a "voice" in our heads.  And I know when I am buying the whole perfect blog thing because I tend to give those people the most glorious voices.  They are ethereal, soft but not timid, neutral in accent, and full of the wisdom of ages.  Perfect.

When they post a picture of a perfect meal they've prepared, I somehow think that every meal in their home must be this perfect.  If they say some profound thing about parenting, I unwittingly assume that they must do this thing perfectly every. single. time.  It's stupid.  I know it's stupid.  You know it's stupid.  But I (and by that I mean "we") do it anyway.

I saw a facebook meme once that essentially said stop comparing your everyday life to other people's highlights reel.  It's the beauty and curse of social media.  We can create the image we want to present and just omit the things that are less than appealing.  I remember watching my "best moments" video thingy that FB did last year and thinking, "Wow!  I had a fantastic year!  Why does it seem so different in my head?"

I don't want you to make any of those mistake where this blog is concerned.  So, let's get some things straight.  I do not live in a perfect world.  Some days, for one split second the sun is shining, the breeze is blowing, the birds are singing, and all my kids are safely occupied with some joyful activity that requires nothing but my adoring smile of affirmation.  BLINK!  The moment is gone.  Done.  Dead.  Obliterated! 

Some days barely register above tolerable but most are kind of like a bunch of white people at a wedding reception trying to do the electric slide.  One step forward, two steps back, and everyone is moving in opposite directions.  I've heard it called organized chaos.  Close.  A constant attempt to manage insanity?  Yeah, that's more like it.  

Some day I might post a photo of a delicious dinner that I've made from scratch using our homegrown farm fresh ingredients.  Something like this yummy butternut squash soup:

I love cooking and feeding my family good, real food BUT don't you think for a second there aren't nights (at least once a week) that look like this:

And I mean EXACTLY like this.  Shoot, my kids know how to use a can opener and a microwave.

Real life.  Not just the highlights.

Hopefully, the blog will fill up at a steady rate but if there's a lull -assume chaos is ruling the roost and spaghettio's are being served up a-plenty.  Oh, and if you must give me a voice, go for a lusty, southern, chain-smoker in drag.  It'll help keep your expectations in check and I won't have to fear being punched in the face at the grocery store.