christmas, new year's eve, birthdays, the fourth of july.
why did these holidays all seem so much more magical & precious when i was a kid? honestly ... why did everything seem so special when i was a kid?
life was so much slower. so much simpler.
and it also never felt like we were rushing from one thing to the next. i didn't start suffering from FOMO until i got my phone. and i didn't get a smartphone until my senior year of college. COLLEGE. so i got to enjoy those good 'ol days of oblivion for a lot longer than the average person, i think.
why did the oblivion feel so ... good?
i struggle with this question - and with being in the "holiday spirit" - a lot during special days. yesterday it really hit me hard that in the social media craze that we live in, maybe THIS is the reason:
COMPARISON IS THE THIEF OF JOY.
at the touch of our fingertips, we can instantly see what allllll of our friends are doing on the holidays. with snapchat stories, we can even see what funny / crazy things STRANGERS are doing to celebrate at any given moment. the ice luges, the red white and blue jello shots, the giant flamingo pool floats, the boat parties, every parade & drinking event. i may be an old soul. honestly, it all freaks me out.
i wish that i was spiritually mature & in tune enough to be able to tune all of this white noise out. i know that friends / acquaintances are just excited to share the cool things that they're doing with their other friends in real time. but more often than not, it just feels like a comparison trap. and i will be the first to admit that i fall down the rabbit hole, all too often.
yesterday was a great day - i did have to work from 6:45am to 1pm (but, HEY, time & a halffff) then we closed and did a workout in the empty gym. i went to a family cookout, drank a couple of spiked seltzers, helped blow up a giant flamingo pool float, played with a baby, and was asleep by 10pm.
but, i was restless.
and all day long, i was constantly checking my phone. snap stories, instagram stories - subconsciously comparing & contrasting how MY 4th of july stacked up against everyone else's. feeling down about myself that i didn't go to a parade, spend my day on a boat out at sea, or drunkenly watch a late night fireworks show.
social media is a gift, but it's also a curse.
i think it takes a very mature, self aware, and self assured person to use social media & not get caught up in this comparison trap. i'm trying - i'm working on it. i need to acknowledge what i DO have, when i have it, unencumbered by the idea that what other people are doing is any more enjoyable than what i'm doing. because i have one life, one story that is mine, and i'd better start appreciating it.
No comments