Perception is Reality?

*This patch of cute little blue flowers is just one of the things making me happy this week.

I've had several people make comments to me recently about how great they think I am at juggling everything - working, being a mom, a wife, a friend - and each time, I laughed hysterically. Were they being serious? Or were they just trying to be nice?

So I thought about what kind of image I must project to others. I guess I can see how someone who only read my blog would think that I am a happy-go-lucky mom who is always organized and on top of everything. I'm happy that I'm portraying myself in a positive way. That means I'm focusing on the right things. It also means that I've stayed true to the purpose behind my blog - to focus on the positive and beautiful things in life.

To those friends who think I'm doing a great job....thank you. I appreciate the comments. And in general, I do think I'm doing okay. But I don't think I'm doing any better than any of you. You just aren't there to see me break down in tears when I can't convince my screaming two-year old to just get in the bath please after a really long day at work, or when he throws food in my hair and then hits me when I tell him not to do that, or when I'm running through the grocery store on a Saturday trying to get through that loathesome errand as quickly as possible, or when I fall asleep at my desk at work. You also haven't been to my house lately to see how dirty my shower is or how unorganized my closets are.

And it's not that I want to hide any of that - it's life, after all - it's just that I don't want to focus on those things. I'm sure that any of you who are in similar situations would be able to relate, and I'll admit there is some amount of relief found in venting, but I just want to let those things go so I can be happy. I want to focus on the "big big hugs" I get from my gorgeous and happy and healthy two-year old, my handsome husband, my awesome friends, my efforts at being organized... And the multitudes of tiny little things that make life good and fun - the pretty flowers in my yard, the funny episode of The Office, the surprise package in the mail...

My main point to this post is to remind you that if you are ever tempted to compare yourself to someone else, please remember that perception is not reality. You may want to compare yourself to that perfect mom you know, but don't. She's not perfect. At least, not any more perfect than any of us who keep trying to do our best.