My Life That Way

by Alicia Dowell

I don’t know about you but when I hear the phrase “I want it that way” I fondly start thinking back to my teenage years. I couldn’t tell you anything about any boy bands besides maybe a song. But I have been mulling over this month’s theme wondering what could I talk about. Then like a bell the other day in Michael’s it hit me.

Hubby, Glitter, and I were walking around looking at all the new Spring items. Hubby really was hoping I wasn’t going to buy anything so don’t let him tell you any different. As we rounded the corner, three teenage girls were talking loud like teenagers do. The youngest, maybe 13, popped off this gem: “I want to DIY my life.   You know Do It Yourself.”  My heart went out to her. Does she not realize those awesome Instagram shots just the highlight reels’ people show? Then I literally stopped in the middle of the aisle and broke down in my own head. As I excused myself to an aisle I thought “I do that. I want my life that way. How am I any different?” I have been guilty of looking at the curated pictures and think “How perfect so and so’s life must be. Why can’t my life be this amazing? Only if I had the contacts so and so has, I could do so much, have so many followers, how I could quit my job and do something I love. It would be amazing to have it that way.

As this was going on in my head, I came to realize doing to same thing trying to make everything the way I wanted. I am not saying trying to make your life the way you want is a bad thing but rather basing your life on the curated views of someone else’s life is not cool. My life based on someone else’s is not how I want it.

Today the phrase “I want it that way” means, taking cues about not trying to base my life on so and so’s and remembering to share life even the not so curated parts.

One comment

  1. Jodi says:

    Enjoyed your post, Alicia! I agree – I think we all have moments of “the grass is always greener”, but in the end, we want to keep it real and stay true to ourselves. Thanks for sharing!

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