Today's post will be short and sweet for y'all, but I do think it's an important thing to discuss.
All of the social media channels like Instagram and Pinterest show us perfectly crafted dinner ideas, perfect homes with not a pillow out of place, and tips on how to organize your Tupperware even better than the last article about the same topic. I'm here to tell you that the perfect pictures presented, more often than not, are 99% smoke and mirrors, in that the perfection caught on camera in an instant will most likely not stay perfect for long.
I know it's the biggest reason I have a love/hate relationship with social media. I love that I've met complete strangers who I may never meet in person but whom I now consider friends. I love that I can keep up with friends and family and can share projects and things that inspire me. I also find so much inspiration in the pictures other people post. I hate that so many people get on social media and within a minute may feel depressed or judged because they feel their life isn't perfect and never can or will be. Stay in Instagram or Pinterest too long and one might fall into the comparison game or experience FOMO. I know it happens to me and I can tell you from personal experience on work photoshoots how long it can sometime take to get just the right picture of one angle in a room.
One thing I have seen firsthand is the unrealistic expectation of what we, and our homes, have to look like at all times. I had a meeting recently with a young mom who kept apologizing that her kids toys were scattered about and her kitchen wasn't tidy according to her. Honestly I didn't even notice. I don't know about you, but I definitely have more than a few things out on the counter and rogue laundry in at least 3 rooms of my house at this very moment. And that is absolutely NORMAL.
All of us are complicated, multi-dimensional, flawed human beings. We all live out our messy and fulfilling lives with our families every single day. When we walk into your home, whether it be for a design consultation, a coffee date, or a site visit, we understand this on a deep level. All we can say is own your style. Own your fulfilling but messy life!
Please know there is no judgment from us for the state of your living room or the pantry shelves filled to the brim. While we like tidy we cannot deny, we have more importantly learned to let go and know that there are gifts among imperfection. Toys and Legos on the floor mean kids are playing and having fun. Dishes in the sink mean we have food to eat.
Let's all take a compassionate stand on letting go of judgment, especially after this year. We are all doing the very best we can - extend that courtesy to your fellow mother having to home-school, or the family around the corner you don't know very well who are now all working from home. There's so much more to concentrate on and to be grateful for.