encourage:

via Emily McDowell

I thought I'd start this week off with a little encouragement. I love this print by Emily McDowell, have you seen her work? She is amazing. Anyway, does this resonate with anyone? I think it's pretty right on. It's so so so easy to see what others have online and just start comparing. It is really dangerous to fall into that too. I know I find myself guilty of this. But we need to keep in mind we only see glimpses of what people choose to post online, we don't know them or what is really going on in the other 95% of their lives we don't see.
I get lost in reality sometimes and I've joked with Nick and some blog friends about how things in blogger's lives sometimes are "staged" just like a movie set or play. I've posted photos of our house but it certainly doesn't look like that 90% of the time! It's staged just right and ever so neatly so you are left to think we live in this lovely place where it's clean all the time when in reality, Nick & I are really messy slobs ;)
Sometimes I get discouraged about people's houses I see and think, why can't our house be neat like that? I just need to accept the fact that it's not going to happen for us because we are not by nature neat people! and it's okay that the house doesn't look like a picture perfect catalog all the time. it needs to be lived in. But when that feeling of comparing begins to creep in and I allow myself to become discontent with what I've been so abundantly blessed with, that is not good and I know I need to give myself a reality check and pep-talk that I'm being an ungrateful brat. Anyway. I didn't mean to go into it so much but I'd love to hear your thoughts! :) Hope you are encouraged today and have a wonderful week friends.