Virtual Reality

I’m glad I wasn’t born yesterday. 

I never had the skills to do too much with make-up or hair. I never developed a really great skill set.  Don't get me wrong; I get by, but after 15 minutes I’m pretty much out of tricks. Even if I had two hours to get ready, I’d have no idea what to do for the other hour and forty-five minutes. The morning of my wedding my dad and I hopped into his truck and he drove me into town. He looked at my hair wrapped in hot rollers and asked 'So daughter….what’s the game plan for your hair?' I told him 'This is it. I’m counting on hair spray to work it out.'

The bar is so high now I’m glad I was a young woman before social media. I’d be so screwed trying to compete on Instagram glamour pics. I can’t imagine the pressure to measure up.

It’s hard enough figuring yourself out without there being a global stage to do it upon. I feel for this generation of social media natives. Global access at your fingertips is pretty intoxicating.  Access to immediate information (and unfortunately, just as much misinformation) is pretty dang appealing.  But all the crafting and waiting for validation must be exhausting.  I know how nerve-wracking it is to share your thoughts through words and hope you're not just a tree falling in a forest.  I watched the mountains take second place to the screen and thought damn, I am getting old.   Reality isn’t meant to be virtual. It’s meant to be real. You’re more than an avatar.  Your appearance is only part of you, not the all of you.  

I’m not saying it's sunshine having been born on the other side of BSM (before social media – I just made that up). Most of my friends find themselves dealing with aging parents, scary health diagnoses, lost loves, and all the crap that comes with time and mortality.

Social media provides the platform to share so much, but too often it shows just half of the whole of you. 

I wish I’d walked over there and softly said to her ‘Look into the eyes of the person sitting across from you. If you’re tuned out from this moment because you think he’s a boring a**hat, then politely say your goodbyes but don’t choose virtual reality over real. There will come a time when you wish you had all this time back.'

I’m grateful to be at the point in my life where I feel I’m living in the center of myself. Living it out the good, the bad, the ugly, and the beautiful. 

I’m blessed to have friends who are doing the same.

Nourish your soul, expand your dreams, cherish your tribe. 

 How’s your real life? I’d love to know xoxo