So many people have told me that they visit my blog, not because of the number of kids I have in this house, not because my kids are so freakin cute and hilarious, but they visit because I am real!
What does that even mean?
Being REAL?
I wonder if I am a train wreck that people can’t tear their eyes away from. You know we all do it. We slow way down on the freeway to see the bloody bodies on the side of the road.
Disturbing? Yes………… but true.
You know you are as guilty as I am.
So is this real life blog that train wreck off the freeway? Am I the mangled body that the EMT’s are working on? Some days, I believe, the answer is yes!
I have learned a lot from blogging. Some of it has surprised me; other things have just confirmed what I already believed. YOU. ALL. HAVE. SECRETS! How do you all sleep at night? When I posted the affair. I was bombarded with emails and facebook messages from multiple people that said:
“Listen to this.”
and
“I am still in love with and dream about my first love too.”
or
“I had an affair with someone from work.”
Others confessed about addictions, and depression and loneliness.
I love that you are telling me your stuff, but why am I the only one hearing it? Share this stuff with everyone. It makes you real. It makes you human. It makes people want to share back with you. We all screw up. Some of us even f___ up our lives from time to time. I know I am not the only one. I guess I don’t understand why I am the different one.
Or like you all say it, “The real one.”
The other thing I’ve found about blogging is that I am being understood. I always feel like a freak riding these crazy emotional roller coasters. But I have found, I am not the only one that deals with these erratic emotions. Other people understand me.
Living in my past marriage and life I was always told, “Just be happy!” Oh okay, let me get right on that. I thought today I would just feel sad. It made me nuts. I wasn’t understood. I wasn’t stable and the people I was surrounded by thought it was my choice to be such a mess. Hmmm, no wonder I was even crazier in the old days. At least now I can flip my lid and feel great about it! It always makes for a good post.
I started this blog as way to keep in touch with family and friends, and then the big kids went back to school and they loved seeing what we were up to at home. I found that writing again was therapeutic and I loved doing it. I had found an outlet and this blog has evolved from there. Today, I am being followed by people I didn’t know yesterday and now I consider you all friends. I feel like I go out everyday and have a diet coke with you. I vent and share my dirty laundry, and then surf over to your blogs and listen to your stories too. This is FUN!
I will never use this blog to earn money; you will never see ads on these cute pages of mine. I have no desire to have more followers. I am not looking for fame. I just love doing what I am doing and being real!
Thank you for allowing me to share my dirt without fear. If you ever don’t like what I am filling your heads with, just stop reading. Thank you for the great comments and the encouraging words on my hard days and last but not least, go post your hard to talk about stuff on your blogs. I will be checking!
I have really been enjoying reading about your life and hearing all about your kids–and I love that you keep it “real”!!
Shoot–i forgot to email you–going to do that now…
Just stumbled onto your blog this morning, I greatly appreciate your honesty. And you do have some fabulous kids.
Okay – I’m going to be REAL too… You just wait. There is a lot of stuff I’m dying to say.
I hate the comment “just be happy” also. Obviously, those people haven’t had their HARD times yet. They will. One way or another, we all get our turn. Or turns. Welcome to life.
I read because I *wish* I had the guts to have a house full of kiddos:)
Also, it’s interesting to see how other people live.
Take care:)
p.s. I am on Facebook, too and would love to add you.
My full name is Jenny Allerton Monier- look me up!
Sometimes people are afriad. I mean after all, the big bad internet might receognize them in their supposidly annoymous blogs.
Wow, that was all spelled really bad.
Seriously though, people are just afria.d Me i dont hide anything… no reason to, it all makes me me.
I’m laughing…you are so not a train wreck! I don’t know how you do it…and I stand in awe that you can remain even semi-sane with your life. But you are certainly not a wreck! Maybe we partly come to see if today will be the day you finally flip out lol…and no one would blame you! We’ll just come over to help bring you down off the ceiling and give you a big hug…oh and watch the kids for awhile so you can take a bubble bath!
Sandi – you are real. I love your ability to be real. It doesn’t make you a train wreck, it just makes you honest. And heaven knows we all could use a lot more honesty these days – we’ve had enough of the fake crap! Keep ‘em coming girl!
I love your blog!! so real.. I don’t think I have the guts to get as real as you are! I’m so amazed! Keep it coming
Your more than just real Sandi. In the words of the famous Warren G… “Your cooh”! Okay, Okay. He didn’t say you but none-the-less. Happy blogging.
Well I don’t think you’re a car-crash my dear! (I guess its possible that is because I am one too, but we won’t go there!)
For me, “real” is about just writing what you need to write about – not being obsessed with what other people want to hear about or see, but talking about the things that affect your daily life, and things that happen to be on your mind.
I really dislike blogs that seem entirely focussed on gaining more followers, or writing FOR the followers and not for themselves.
Know what I mean?
xxxx
I think it’s so important to be “real” not only for others but especially for yourself!! Dealing with my crazy year has made me take a long, hard look at myself and has forced me to be real. I can’t pretend to be happy that my son has Down syndrome. I love him dearly and am happy to have him. But I do not like the cards he has been dealt. It drives me nuts when other moms say it’s the greatest blessing. I can see what they’re saying, that through the experience, they have grown and changed, etc. I have, too, in these short (and loooooong) seven months. I am a different person now b/c of it. I am closer to my family and to my God. But if I could wish it away, I would in a heartbeat.
Yesterday, I was watching as my husband was brushing our 2 1/2 year old’s teeth before bed. Somehow driving a car came up, as it often does with a toddler boy. I said, “Andrew, one day you’ll be a bigger boy and you’ll be able to drive a car.” His face lit up and you could tell he was thinking about this. And he said, “And Benjamin, too!” And I just started crying, knowing that Benjamin most likely will not drive. And it Just. Isn’t. Fair. I can’t pretend to be okay with all this. Not yet anyway. It’s all too fresh.
GOSH I rambled. LOL
I’ve got to get some sleep!