Perception vs. Reality

I was a sophomore in college, working part-time at Cafe Rio and a male co-worker was giving me a hard time because he had recently found out that I'd had a crush on him when we had first started working together. It was true, I'd had a crush at first (had being the operative word there), and in my swift retaliation I probably said something along the lines of "yeah I liked you until I actually got to know your personality." Something harsh and mean, but hopefully with enough sarcasm that he didn't feel too bad.  And in my defense, he was a cocky metro with a hugely inflated ego.  But then he said something I wasn't expecting. He said that I should be careful with what I say because, didn't I know that the people who try to look like they have it all, the cocky ones, are always the most insecure? As in himself. It was uncomfortable and I think I apologized but I have always remembered that moment. Because he was being honest. And he was right.

The older I get, the more I can see just how hard some people try to make it seem like their life is perfect. Desperately plastering their blogs, facebook, instagram, and twitter with overly-edited and staged photos of their "life" or at least, a very slim portion of their actual life and you can almost hear them screaming "LOOK AT ME, VALIDATE MY EXISTANCE!!!" And the harder they try, the more I worry about what is actually bubbling beneath the surface of those polished photos and over-the-top self promotion.  And instead of the jealousy they were seeking, the only feeling I can muster is pity.  Because I don't buy it for a second. And, I'm guessing no one else does either.

Of course the opposite can be even worse, when someone posts some overtly-personal detail of their life, a dramatic song lyric, or (the most cringe-worthy for me) they critisize their spouse in a facebook status update.  Like it's any of our business. I guess there is a fine line between total narcissim, and self-loathing. But I digress...

I love social media because it's the most conveniant way to keep in touch with my friends and family, almost all of which now live thousands of miles away.  And I'm not referring to those who's posts are sincere, and are actually informative and meaningful. I love those. LOVE them.  I get to explore Europe, and sunbath in Powell, and see pictures of my new niece and nephew all in the palm of my hand while I live vicariously through my friends and family.  I don't know what I would do some days at work without them to fill the time. And I fully appreciate the irony of my critisizing social media via my blog, but really. Really. The best things in life aren't the faux-candid, photoshopped, wannabe model-shots. The best moments are perfectly imperfect.