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jenna shared this amazing article.
what you don't see.
by me.
what you don't see on my DIY projects are the unfinished edges. the stray hairs that got caught in the paint. the dry drips of paint my amateurism and impatience left on the table legs.
what you don't see in my pictures are the zits i retouched in iphoto, or where i cropped it to hide an unsightly tricep or less than whittled waist. or that i untag any facebook photo i don't think is flattering...
what you don't read on my blog is how i got inexplicably frustrated with my husband, overreacted or mistreated him. how i read someone else's blog post about heart-shaped pancakes they ate in bed, and irrationally think matt doesn't love me as much as breakfast-making blog-husband loves his pancake-eating wife.
what i didn't tell you in my post is that i didn't get my april visiting teaching done. or the laundry.
i told you i played the french horn for 13 years. i didn't tell you i can barely now.
i told you i'm 5'7''. i didn't tell you how much i weigh.
i told you we went to thailand. i didn't mention europe was too expensive.
and what you didn't read on all the other blogs is that it took 20 photos to get the one you saw.
or that spectacular homemade meal was pot luck.
or even though mr and mrs took a romantic weekend away, it's been a hard year.
or a gorgeous new outfit was retail therapy for a terrible bad day at work.
or husband did all of the dishes only after wife asked him 15 times (and maybe got a little upset about it).
glasses are half full.
and that's a good perspective.
but when you're thinking other's cups runneth over, and yours is dry and empty, just remember there's so much that wasn't shared.
so be honest with me.
what don't we see?
21 comments:
What an intriguing post. I really liked this, mainly because to me, YOU are one of those whom I look at as having it all. I always really appreciate such honesty and plain truth. Thanks for posting this.
Such a great post! Thank you!
you inspired me to post one of my favorite quotes on my blog...thanks. see you supporting the cure this weekend.
noelle, i like when people are honest. i think that sometimes we don't realize what view of ourselves we are showing people through our blogs. if someone has never met me then what impression are they getting of me from my blog? i don't know, but i'm tempted to do a post like this.
becca... PLEASE DO!
i think they're so entertaining to read.
I love this post. I could have written the paragraph about overreacting to my husband and being jealous of pancake-eating wife. I'm worried that if I do a post like this my tendency to complain would take over and it wouldn't be as productive as your post.
this is inexplicably beautiful.
I would love to see Anne Taintor take a crack at the modern-day hypocrisy we see on the blogosphere. She would tell it like it is. Why do we women torture ourselves so with feelings of inadequacy?
Great post Noelle. But just for the record, you are one the most honest people I know, on and off the blog.
Love your post... Something to think about... and something to post about! We all do it! Thanks for making blogging real. I think I will continue to follow your blog! LOVE IT
i wish i knew how to retouch zits.
one of my best friends is COMPLETELY honest with everyone about all the crap going on in her life and some people get freaked out but she says that at least all her problems are out on the table while other people may seem perfect and they have hidden problems that nobody knows about them...nobody really knows them. (run-on sentence) she also said that most of her relationships have gotten so much better bc of it bc she is REAL now and nobody likes someone who is perfect.
p.s. it was GREAT seeing you last sunday.
over from jenna's post. i think you've got a great thing going.
its so true that we just get caught up really believing that someone's life {through their blog} must be perfect. i love this idea and am going to do it myself!
I found your blog from Jenna's, and I love this post. I want to do this, too. Thanks for sharing!
noelle, I loved your post! I actually had a similiar conversation with my Mom earlier this week. Here I am feeling completely overwhelmed with TWO kids... my husband has been gone for 4 weeks and my house is a complete disaster. I have been staying up till 2 in the morning doing some projects.... and I my thought was I only have two kids... how do people that have 6 and 7 in my ward do it? I loved your post and have had very similiar feelings!!
Pretty sure I've had this conversation referencing your blog before :)
Even though there's always craziness going on in life, I still think you're fabulous.
noelle,
just wanted to come back and say i'm really glad you posted this. i felt inspired to write things today on my blog that i never would have before and i feel like it really helped me concentrate and express my thoughts. hopefully not just to the benefit of myself but for others!
jenna
this made my whole day/week/life better. it really puts it into perspective what my life is like. because there are so many things one wouldn't see from my blog. the frustrations i have with my job, with the industry, my questions about the future, the times boyfriend and i don't see eye to eye...etc. thanks for posting this.
So true. I love this. Thanks for sharing.
Ahhh! Thank you thank you- someone else blogging with honesty. I look out for these...thank you for being what we are asked to be: REAL. Forthright and forthwith in all our dealings with mankind. It was beautiful and sacred.
Noelle, I've never checked your blog before but feel entitled too from one comment you've left on mine (last summer, maybe?) I love this post! And I love that I specifically went to your blog because I feel so blah about my style and hair and looks and you look so chic on a random day with a Stella on Erica's blog. So, you're admired, even with retouches. It was nice to read that there's some insecurities there in a girl I find so cute, since I'm so full of them myself!
Saw this again recently and wanted to say thanks for this one :) I liked the original article, but yours was a little closer to home for me since I know you and you're closer to where I am in life. I hope you're having a great day, and also, I like you :)
Aah...yes. I know just how you feel. I think we all feel like that sometimes, don't we? Perhaps too often. Anyway, I am trying to make a concerted effort to think about the things I am doing and not so much the many things other do so very well. It's a daily practice though...this I'm learning!
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