Do you ever read people’s Facebook statuses and want to gag yourself with the biggest spoon you can find? Or do you think it would be less painful to to be in a Thai wrestling match than have to read how incredibly amazing everything about their lives are? How perfect their kids are? How their spouses cook dinner, walk the dog, bathe the kids AND then make it all about them a little later on…if you catch my drift?
I’ll admit it. I mock the crap out of these people. I do. Really? Is everything really that good?
This morning I said to a friend of mine, “I’m feeling like one of those Facebook statuses that make me want to projectile vomit.” And then I went on to say how stupidly in love with my kid I was. And in my head, I was thinking how amazing it was to wake up in my house that I love on a beautifully sunny day and bike to work. This after having spent a weekend with some of my closest friends just laughing like hyenas for 36 hours straight. How I went to a school meeting last night, looked around the room at all these new faces of people who have become so close to me and thought how beyond pumped I am that Will gets to grow up with them. How just goddamned content and …gulp…brace yourself…happy I feel.
Usually when people say ‘how are you?’. I respond with a sarcastic – ‘Well, I’m just FABulous. How are you?’ Because I generally think people are just asking it to say something to fill the awkward elevator silence. Saying ‘fab’ throws them way off. For the past week, I think I would just reply, ‘Honestly? I’m really fu*^ing happy.’
But. I feel slightly embarrassed gushing about this. Why? Likely for the same reason I mock the happy Facebook statuses. It doesn’t feel natural. It seems forced.
Look Rome wasn’t built in a day. I’m going to make an attempt to muffle my snide ‘plllleasse’ when I see some of the statuses and think maybe they’re just having an awesome week. But that will take a while.
Instead of it being forced, maybe, like me, it’s been so long since they’ve felt completely happy that they want to put it down in permanent form so a month or so from now when they inevitably hit a low on the roller coaster of life, they can revisit it and remind themselves of how good they felt then.
Or they’re just drunk?
Thoughts??
I am afraid of not being happy- to the point that I try to avoid people who try to pull me DOWN- that is quite different from people being honest and having really tough days/weeks months etc. I am afraid that if I dont love what I have and enjoy every moment that I will regret it or that I will lose it or tomorrow something will happen that will make me wish I had LOVED EVERY MINUTE OF MY IMPERFECT LIFE.
So that’s my thing and I will shout about it until my dying days
Fake BS people? Can’t stand em and avoid them at all costs.
You, however, my darling, deserve every happiness and I am just so glad you are happy. Scream it at top of lungs
I think it’s true we hesitate to talk about how good things are because we don’t want to seem like we’re crowing, because it seems like daring something to go horribly wrong, and because we know it’s not all okay with everyone else, and don’t want them to feel bad. All good, but we still need to be able to enjoy those good days. I had a couple of very content days this week, myself – it was glorious!
I do, however, have a friend on facebook who is forever posting new photos of herself, like every couple of days, closeups of her own face, and for whatever reason, it totally makes me roll my eyes so yeah, there’s still those people!
Is it really so bad to proclaim how happy you are? Why the heck NOT shout it from rooftops (or on Facebook if that’s your soapbox). Enough negativity out there as it is. Maybe it would be a better world if people sent out MORE positive vibes. For some reason, happiness doesn’t seem to last as long as misery, so celebrate it when you feel it!
I don’t think you should hold back from telling people you’re happy and love your son and your life. If they are your friends, they’ll be thrilled for you. If they get snarky, that tells you all you need to know. 🙂
sometimes i feel people are afraid to say they’re happy. for some reason we think people will get all mad at us for daring to be so content but we’re more accepting if someone is in a bad mood. we feel have to give ourselves permission to be happy…bullroar. we are on the right side of the grass this morning and that’s good enough for me 🙂 i’m going to update my status now….tee hee