My Dirty Laundry

I talked with my husband about some of the blogs I have been reading. They all seem so... perfect. Perhaps too perfect? All of these ladies have 3 and 4 children whom they dress up nicely and line up for the camera. They have all these pretty pictures of their gorgeous kids and a lot of their "big problems" don't sound all that bad to me.

It honestly makes me feel bad - like I'm a terrible mom or something when deep down, I know that isn't true. I know the situation we're in looks so horrible, but I also know the truth.

Do people perchance, write only the good stuff to make themselves seem better off than they are? I've always been a very open person - perhaps too open for that matter. If I'm going to write about myself and my life, then I want every angle presented - even the not no pretty ones. I've been told I'm airing my dirty laundry that no one wants to see. But you have to put the dirty clothes in the washing machine before you can ever hope to get that clean smell and warm, fuzzy feeling of clothes fresh from the dryer. That's where my blog comes in. Consider it my public laundromat. Hopefully we all get something out of it - maybe even some free detergent.

I don't want sympathy. I want understanding - and I think we all want that. I'd like to think that people are more accepting and able to identify with one another more than we give them credit for. Maybe if more people wrote about the ugly truths of their lives, the world would be a better place. If you're reading this, I want you to walk away with information. Hopefully it's something you can learn from - maybe not today or tomorrow... but sometime in your life it finds its way back to you and helps you with an important life decision.

Charlie agrees with me in the belief that people write about the good stuff and rarely the bad. I made myself a little self-conscious and wondered if perhaps I was being too gloomy. But this is life and it's real. This blog is really about who I am and what I am facing. It nothing else, it's a reminder to myself of the places I have been and the mountains I have climbed. That is what sets me apart from the blogs full of smiling faces and Suzy home-makers.

Once again, I remind myself that I won't settle. I won't censor myself or feel like I am putting too much of myself into my writing.