…it’s all Greek to me! in fact, anything out of my comfort zone is a mission to grapple. I’m not the most tech savvy person known to the human race, but being an indie author, you have to work these things out on your own. Established authors share their wisdom and experience, making it look easy. Blimey, all these writing groups herald the success of their sales thanks to social media. Great. And they get time to complete three books in less than six months. Great, I’m happy for them if not in awe of this shining example of brilliance.
As with anything in modern life, the buck doesn’t stop at writers. It’s across the board. We read and see the amazing achievements of everyone and anyone but rarely of those struggling to keep up. Me, personally, when I screw up, I hold my hands up and admit it. I don’t shy away from my cock-ups— so much so, that I announce it publicly and do the same when I’ve learned from it. Nobody is without fault and certainly nobody is perfect. And that is the issue. Nobody is beyond making mistakes but sadly, many feel the need to keep up the bravado of “living their best life” and inadvertently making those who are struggling, question themselves to the detriment of their mental well-being. No ta. I choose peace of mind.
So, you see, this is exactly the attitude I have installed in my kids since they were little. They’ve grown up watching their mum punching through even when she’s crawling on the floor because MS decides to smack her with a bad episode. What my kids always see, however, is their mother’s determination and devil-my-care attitude, to get back up and brush herself down. I showed them an example of this “not everything you see is real” one day. I was flat out on the lawn. My body decided (again) that I wasn’t going to get up and get my drink. So, I took a photo of my legs and newly manicured toenails and posted it on Instagram #summervibes #lovinglife. My kids knew when they had seen the image what I was really going through and yet viewers were loving the post. I was a woman enjoying the sunshine and taking some much needed ‘me time’. See? It’s all about show. Today’s society hasn’t actually moved on from keeping up with the Joneses. It’s actually just changed medium. We’re not looking over neatly trimmed privet bushes, we’re looking at people’s lives through a screen. We haven’t evolved that much, contrary to what folk would like to think.
Stay true to yourself, because for the person you may envy, they may be wishing that they could take a break and be like you before they burn out.
Take care, © Eva x