We just celebrated Halloween, Thanksgiving is Thursday, and the countdown is on to Christmas. Decorations are going up and plans are being made.
Ready or not, here it comes. Want to have the perfect Thanksgiving (and even Christmas) this year? Be expectation free. Sounds simple right? You can't just say you are, you have to actually be expectation free. Because we live in a social media saturation society, this time of the year can bring about a lot of stress that is tied to unrealistic expectations of perfection. Expectations, more often then not, we don't even realize are there. Family picture; Everybody better be in attendance that day because that has to be done and has to be perfect. Your outfit; Has to be perfect. Decorations; Move over Joanna Gaines, because those better be perfect too. Food you prep; Doesn’t have to taste good but it better be picture perfect. Even the presents you buy and how they are wrapped have to be perfect. It all has to be perfect, or at least look that way for a picture. Did you know, it takes half a second to take a picture? We are only getting a half a second glimpse into somebody’s world, and only giving somebody a half second glimpse into ours. So for that half a second, there is perfection. My guess is the other 86399.5 seconds in the day don’t look like that. For them, or for you. What’s worse than the expectation of the perfect picture, is the drive to make your social media life look perfect while neglecting the truth in real life. I see this a lot, and have even experienced it in my own life. We treat somebody one way in person, but rave about them from behind the screen. We make it look good, when actually it isn't. Social media is a tool to be used to connect and network. It’s meant to help you stay in connection, not replace actual communication and relationships. It's a tool, that often times becomes a trap. What may be a family update, or a picture to share with friends, becomes a quick addiction and infatuation of checking how many likes and comments you get. We sneak away from the reality of our lives and drown ourselves in Social Media reality. Which really isn’t real at all. Ultimately it is our choice. Can we choose to be real this season? To put aside the pretend that is our social media world, and enjoy the real that is the beautifully chaotic of our actual day to day lives? We can choose to post and not become enthralled with others reactions and opinions. We can choose to be real this Holiday season, choose to let the expectation and pressure of “perfection” go. We can choose to enjoy our family, extend grace to others, and just be present this season. We want you to enjoy these holidays, enjoy your family, and fully embrace who you are in this season! The Johnstons invite you to share your real family pictures with us this Thanksgiving & Christmas! We would love to see them! Post them here, or on Facebook. Use the #RealLifeRealUs
1 Comment
|