
Let’s talk, just for a moment, about social media. I love Facebook and Instagram for the connection they provide, with people I see rarely and with people I see often. I love the unexpected laughs, the bits of beauty or joy, feeling a part of other’s people’s lives. But I am well aware of the gap between what I post about and the reality of my own life, and don’t envy anything I read or see (okay, maybe I get a little jealous sometimes of Paris pics—I’ve never been). Here’s what I post about: My vacations. Family milestones. My work. Small things that bring me joy. Here’s what I don’t post about: The times I’ve lost my temper and sworn at my kids. The times my kids have sworn at me. My back pain. How hard it is to care for my elderly mother. The years of my life I have wasted looking for my glasses. Sometimes I run into a friend I haven’t seen in months and he or she says to me, “Your life is so fun!” And I think, Are you kidding me? Sometimes I think about posting nothing but the truth for an entire month, but I don’t.
Instead, I write novels. [Read more…]