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Dear Facebook Envy,
Can I tell you a little secret? Facebook lies.
Well, maybe not outright lies all the time, but it certainly doesn’t tell the whole truth.
People post their vacations, their beautiful sunsets, their retirement photos, and their smiling family pictures. What they don’t post is that their marriage is hanging on by a thread, their husband drinks too much, their teenager hasn’t spoken to them in three days, they’re worried about paying their bills, or they cried themselves to sleep last Tuesday night.
I once worked with a woman who was constantly posting photos of all of her fabulous vacations. Everyone was jealous! Turns out, she never went on most of those trips. She had photoshopped herself into the pictures. True story.
It was a good reminder that we really have no idea what’s going on behind someone else’s Facebook page.
Here’s the thing, Facebook Envy. You’re comparing your entire life to everyone else’s highlight reel. That’s simply not a fair fight.
The older I get, the more I realize that I don’t want a picture-perfect life. I want a meaningful one. Sometimes that means sitting in my pajamas eating cookies and trying to figure out what’s for dinner. And sometimes, that’s enough.
Sometimes I think the answer isn’t spending more time scrolling Facebook looking for the life we wish we had. Sometimes the answer is putting the phone down and going out and living the life that’s right in front of us.
Go take a walk. Call a friend. Buy the flowers. Read the book. Watch the sunset. Laugh with your grandkids. Eat the cookie.
Your life is happening right now, not on someone else’s Facebook page.
Signed,
Nonni
P.S. Truth be told. Behind the scenes, their lives are probably one hot mess just like everybody else’s. LOL.
