Tuesday, January 25, 2011

perfectly imperfect


(Just a red velvet cupcake family night treat. I luuuuuv red velvet and this was pretty good, just a bit way too sweet. Plus, I think I'm over cupcakes. Cookies are better.)

There are things that I like and dislike about blogging. Mostly, the likes outweigh the dislikes. Blogging gives me a space to write and be creative. It connects me with people. I never started this blog with the idea that people I've never met would read what I write. I just wanted a fun way to record fleeting thoughts, important events, and anything in between. 

But sometimes the blogging dislikes, though comparatively few in number, can be quite annoying. For example, I've recently been a lot better about being more happy and satisfied with just my life, just the way it is. Cue "those blogs." You know the ones I'm talking about? The blogs that make you feel like a fairly ugly, fairly unstylish, fairly loser-ish kind of person. Like why don't ALL pictures of me and my husband look like they should be in a magazine? Why don't I live in urban coolness? Why don't I have a puppy/straight-across bangs/a gazillion perfect outfits/14,000 followers? And there's definitely more than just one of those blogs out there, my friends, and they are definitely all detrimental to my sense of what's real and what's...not me.

Cue reality, please.

Psshhh. Pahh-leeze. I love my real-human, real-life in our Salt Lake City, UT basement apartment. Ok, ok, so maybe I genuinely do want a puppy but that's because and only because Sam and puppies are like mac and cheese. I love that Chas and I are both done with school. I love that I have a Masters degree and a career. I love that I have some cute clothes but would probably choose to stay in my jammy-jams all day, if I could. I love that a fancy date for us will almost always be Hires Big H cheeseburgers and onion rings. (I actually don't love that most pictures of me don't turn out amazing but eh- there are worse things, right?) But mostly, I love that although ridiculously happy together, Chas and I aren't perfect. We have hard days at work. We have things we want so, so badly but don't have. We have things that make us weak, things that make us human.

This article is what prompted most of these thoughts. It's pretty interesting. After reading it, I felt genuinely amazed at how a happy, married life is considered so weird and foreign in today's world. But here's a reality check: we're a happy, high-functioning married couple...and...drumroll...we're not perfect. 

Don't ya just love it?

15 comments:

Brianna! said...

RED VELVET
my absolute FAVORITE
Carrot Cake is next in line

xoxo
bB

Stephanie said...

What a great post. I have the same feelings when I read about other people's lives. Reality checks like that give me peace. :)

Lissa Chandler said...

you said that perfectly. i tried for an hour to say something like it last night and i couldn't get the words to work.. and now i don't have to :)

HettyA said...

Amazingly said, like seriously my thoughts exactly. You always wonder why you're not having the same "perfect' life as some of these people, then you realize that you couldn't be happier with how amazing your life is going!

<3 and yes Cookies all the waaayyy!!!

Emily said...

I DO just love it!
I can honestly say now that I would give up everything I have, for my one happy marriage. (and I bet you would too) We have experienced life without, so I think we're lucky that we know what's REALLY important in life - way way more than all that superficial crap. So, it's like, bummer for us, but yay for us! =)

Shay said...

You write beautifully, Sam! And while no, you don't have a gazillion outfits- yours are adorable and you dont have 16,000 followers but I think your blog is pretty great. Yes, there are blogs out there that make me feel like a fat, boring slob...which is why I like to come to blogs like yours of REAL people that I think are pretty great! I liked that article, pretty funny~!

Nikki (and Crew!) said...

That was a great article! Thanks for sharing it and your thoughts.

Sarah said...

OKay I read this article that you're talking about and I just have to rant for a second. Us LDS people are so concerned with looking perfect to the world and don't even consider that these people are showing us the best of the best of their lives which we then compare our worst to. I stopped reading blogs that make me feel like not enough because let's face it my life isn't perfect but it's not bad either. I have an awesome husband/no puppy or straight bangs/ live in Utah (so glamorous I know) but I love my not so picture perfect life. Take that all you urban-y chicness.
Wearing It On My Sleeves

Young People in Love said...

I think I should clarify:

I actually don't have anything against "those" blogs. Really. It's just the weird response that I have to them- which, might I add, I take full responsibility for. :)

That is all. Carry on.

Erica said...

We all have those weird responses. Sometimes I just want to be a stay-at-home wife, so I can perfect my blog and have tons of followers. But on the other hand, I'm actually out in the world, living life. That's even better.

And that article? I thought it was nice and funny, although it made me sad that happy, married people are considered to be so weird.

Ashley Arnold said...

Love this post. I knew before I clicked on your link that you were linking to the Salon.com article. I really liked that article as well. And you're absolutely right - there are a lot of blogs out there that totally disrupt our perception of reality. Definitely important to step back once in a while and see how we're doing. Thanks for writing.

Corinne said...

Red velvet cupcakes are my favorite - yuuuum.

I completely agree with your "dislikes" with blogging. For me, I find it sometimes hard to pull myself away from those and back to reality, but it isn't healthy for me to sit and read those, either.
I commend your honesty!!

Janssen said...

Bart worked at Hires Big H for a while in high school. And yet, I have never been there.

I love this post. Like I love all your posts.

Alissa Nicolau said...

I am still lurking in the background of you blog. I luv it. You are positive, inspiring, and... In love! I like when you make me think and point me in the direction of something worthwhile, like the Salon article. I enjoyed reading it. I was surprised to find that at one point or another in my blog reading I've been attached to the blogs mentioned. When I've noticed those yucky, ugly jealous feelings creep up in me while reading a blog, I've deleted it from my blog roll. No time for the uglies here.

Jessica Holly said...

hahaha the great thing about that is I totally think that about you! You're so darling :)