A few words about REALity

Happy September 21st!

In honor of this momentous occasion (do you remember… the 21st night of September…) here is one of my favorite social media trends happening as we speak.

Do you ever feel like the dream and the reality just don’t match?
That there’s a disconnect between what life is supposed to look like… and what it actually does?
Do you you ever get the feeling you’re supposed to be somewhere else?
Doing something else?
Maybe even that you’re supposed to be someone else?

That your real life is somewhere… out there… beneath the pale moonlight?

Nah, me neither.

But those poor people who do… boy I feel sorry for them.

It’s like they’re blinded by their own perfectionism.
Held captive by their own ideals.

Lamenting over what isn’t.
Angsting over what might be.
Fretting over what should be.
Missing what is.

Man, do I feel sorry for them.
Because of course, I never do this.

What a shame to waste so much time wishing our lives away.
Reviling reality, just because it’s too real. Too much. Not enough.
And so what becomes the alternative?
Living vicarious dreams that involve no risk, and therefore no failure?
Entertaining elusive fantasies that require no resilience, and therefore no growth?
That doesn’t seem to be a good way to live.

Those poor, poor people.

I wish someone would help them embrace their life.
Their actual life.
The marvelous messiness of it.
The amazing awkwardness of it.
The fabulous flaws of it.
The rich reality of it.

If only they could just “get it”, you know?
Like you do! Like I do!
If only they could understand that our lives are NOT somewhere else.
They’re right here, right now.
Sitting in front of your computer screen.
Staring at your phone.
Waiting in line.
Folding laundry.
Getting cut off in traffic.
Spilling your coffee on your new outfit.
Letting the lady with her arms full in front of you at the grocery store.
Arguing with your spouse.
Making up with your spouse.
All the mundane stuff.
All the REAL stuff.
This is it.

In the immortal words of that timeless 70’s TV classic “One Day at a Time”:

“This is is (This is it!)
This is life, the one you get, so go and have a ball…
This is it (This is it!)
Straight ahead, and rest assured you can’t be sure at all…
So while you’re here, enjoy the view
Keep on doing what you do
Hold on tight, we’ll muddle through
One day at a time (One day at a time!)

Yep, it sure is a good reminder for all those poor people who need, well, reminding.
And, um, oh, btw…
That would actually be me.
So here I am, reminding myself.
Reminding you (just in case you need it).

Because life doesn’t have an Insta filter.
And I’m glad it doesn’t.
I want to experience it.
All of it.
The perfect parts.
The awkward parts.
The glorious parts.
The trainwreck parts.
The rocky parts.
The redemptive parts.
Because I want to meet Jesus in all of it.

And I hope you do, too!