While decluttering my phone notes I found what is written below. I was fresh out of Yoga Teacher Training, had not taught a single (paid) class, and this website was a dream. I was in the planning and dreaming stage of my teaching journey. We were 2 months into quarantine and had just moved into our new home. As I reread these words the message still rings so true to me. I hope it does for you too. Enjoy this little post that I wrote back in May of 2020...
So here I sit in our new home, in our bed, feeling like a blogger for the first time ever in my entire life. I spent my evening in a moment of self care, enjoying my big whirlpool bath. The one I’ve been dreaming about since I was a teen, sipping wine, and breathing in the present moment. Feeling the bubbles swirl around my arms and legs, the hum of the jets in my ears, the warm notes of vanilla on my palate from the glass of Syrah, while Pandora plays my favorite “spa radio”. As I drifted in and out of the moment, acknowledging each though that passed by, I though, “How can I capture this moment to share with the world? How can I share the gift of the pause in a moment of self care?” Moments later I find out that the very tub of my childhood dreams was leaking into the garage through a light fixture…
This all got me thinking. We post moments in time to our feed and our stories, moments that highlight our highs, moments that excite us, moments that inspire others (well, at least we hope they do). Then from time to time you see a post of a the “outtakes," bloopers and the real life moments that just suck. Oh, how I appreciate these posts. It reminds me that the figures we adore through the lens of social media are, in fact, human, just like you, just like me.
And again my mind went on a tangent… stay with me, I swear there is a point in this rambling brain of mine…
You hear people say, what you see on Instagram isn’t real life, do not compare yourself to them, you are only seeing the picture of perfection. And yes I do agree. I tell my daughter that her worth is not measured in “likes”. But tonight, I had this thought…
We choose what we share. We choose what others see. Let me say that again. We choose what we share and we choose what we see…
I could have shared a photo of how I enjoyed my “new to me” whirlpool tub with a delicious bottle of wine and left out the fact that afterwards I bailed buckets of tub water down the sink while slipping in puddle of water on the floor. I could have share that I spent time with my daughter watching Frozen II but left out the fact that she had a horrible tummy ache and puked right before bed. And that’s when the lightbulb went off, it’s not a game of comparison, it’s the ability to choose bliss in your day to day. I chose to count this day as a win. I loved the time I spent caring for my daughter, letting her know that I am there for her, to care for her, to love her. We watched her favorite movie, we snuggled on the couch. I chose to relish in the bath, the sips of wine, the swirling water.
After all, it’s about what you choose to see. Do you see the good? Or do you see the “bad?” I could have chose to chalk that day up as a disaster… Having to leave the block party early to care for a sick kid, having to end my bath because there was an active leak in the garage through a freaking light fixture AND THEN bailing buckets of water down the sink while slipping all over the tile in a bath towel. - I am still haunted by this, clearly.
Before yoga, I probably would have said this day was a disaster, but I think the time I spend on the mat helps me have a more positive outlook, and to celebrate the mini wins. When I met myself on the mat and face challenges in my physical body I find I am better at facing daily challenges off the mat. As I struggle in a pose I see where I need to adjust to find my balance. I also find the strength to keep trying and the flexibility to have patience when I just can't do it, yet. I know that I can come back to it later and try again. I also know that I will be stronger when I do. And somehow, in this magical way, it translates and shows up in my life off the mat. Helping me to see the good and celebrate those little wins.
So, when I see a post that showcases perfection and that little voice in my head tells me I need to step it up or I feel envious, I remind myself that there is a lot going on behind the scenes. Work, effort, preparation, drive and dreams. See if you can cheer them on. And when you see that outtake, let it remind you that we are all human. Choose to see the positive, the good, and celebrate the little wins in your life.