Shannon R. Brown

Social media seems to have taken over the world. There are some great things about it: connecting with old friends, staying in touch with far away family, sharing funny videos, etc. But it definitely has its downsides as well: lack of face to face communication, spiteful posts, vitriolic rants and discussions, just to name a few.

When we post, the vast majority of us only post the good things that happen. While I like to focus on the positive, it can sometimes be a little discouraging to see how “perfect” someone else’s life is. Here’s an example:

Betty baked a gorgeous chocolate bundt cake that came out of the pan perfectly. She decides to post a picture of it on Instagram. Betty takes a very carefully curated picture of said cake, being sure not to show the mess left in her kitchen, the mail piling up on the kitchen table, the kids’ backpacks and dirty clothes strewn about the house…

If you were to look at that picture on Instagram, you might think that her house is spotless and beautiful. The assumption can be that she has it all together and is rubbing her perfection in your face. And if she added #LivingMyBestLife it would be even easier to feel badly about the state of your own life compared to hers.

I see that hashtag a lot, particularly in Christian millennial posts. Here’s just a few examples of actual posts:

• “Enjoying the morning outside with my hot coffee and a little Bible time: #LivingMyBestLife.” (Insert artful pic of open bible and mug of coffee.)
• “This girl always brings the sunshine into my life. So blessed to have her: #LivingMyBestLife.” (Insert pic of girl in floppy hat slyly smiling at the camera.)
• “Found the perfect scarf to wear as I lead worship on Sunday: #LivingMyBestLife.” (Insert pic of scarf draped over a hymnal.)
• “Can’t believe I get to do life with these people: #LivingMyBestLife.” (Insert pic of small group of people laughing and smiling for the camera.)

It’s nice to see others happy and doing well, I just wonder sometimes how authentic all those posts are. Not to mention how much time and effort is put into framing each picture and editing the tagline. Like me, most people I know are just trying to survive on a daily basis. Honestly, I don’t have time to spend artfully creating a post. If by the end of our day my family is all still breathing, I consider that to be #LivingMyBestLife.

In an effort to combat the inauthenticity of many social media posts, I’ve decided to put my own spin on #LivingMyBestLife. Some of these are the product of my imagination and some are merely a list of things I, or members of my family, have done. I’ll let you decide for yourself which is which.

• Forgot to set the coffee pot timer and had to wait for the coffee to brew instead of it being ready when I got up. #LivingMyBestLife
• The puppy managed to sleep all night long. #LivingMyBestLife
• Led worship today and I stunk. #LivingMyBestLife
• Deeply diving into my Bible to keep from committing homicide. #LivingMyBestLife
• All I had for dinner was beer and Doritos. #LivingMyBestLife
• The dog pooped in my shoe. #LivingMyBestLife
• Got to work and realized I’m wearing two different shoes. #LivingMyBestLife
• Had a huge fight with the husband on the way to church. Time to plaster on a fake smile and play usher. #LivingMyBestLife
• My kid threw up all over my favorite shirt just as I was dropping her off at the babysitter’s house to go on a date with my husband for the first time in three months. #LivingMyBestLife
• My son decided to cut his own hair the day before school pictures. #LivingMyBestLife
• I burned dinner. #LivingMyBestLife
• Forgot to pay the electric bill again. Yay for scented candle addictions! #LivingMyBestLife
• Ran over a skunk on the way to the grocery store. #LivingMyBestLife
• Just took my first shower in four days. #LivingMyBestLife
• Fell down walking up the stairs at the park and put holes in my brand new jeans. #LivingMyBestLife
• I have nothing in the pantry but a bag of tortilla chips and a can of beans. Mexican food is my fave! #LivingMyBestLife
• Came home to find my daughter’s favorite Barbie doll dangling from the dog’s mouth. #LivingMyBestLife
• Had a mammogram today. #LivingMyBestLife
• I declare chocolate a food group. #LivingMyBestLife
• Woke up Monday morning and realized I should have done laundry over the weekend. Good thing my underwear is reversible. #LivingMyBestLife

So there you have it, a little glimpse into my reality. I hope that this list inspires you to go into the land of social media and join me in #LivingMyBestLife. Our authenticity may just make someone’s day a little brighter.