I'm slowly but surely learning about what it means to "choose your friends carefully".  My mom would always say that to me, and I always brushed it off as ridiculous nonsense, and still do somewhat, I guess.  I would always think, "Everyone is fine, Mom, and even if they're not, I can't just seclude myself in this little, protective bubble forever."

   But now that we're a little bit past slumber parties and braces and high school, teenage life, that whole concept takes on a new meaning for me.  It applies to people in real life, obviously, but I think it also applies to our "online friends".  People that we have perhaps never met and never will, but we still form a sort of friendship with through blogs and Instagrams and Pinterest and so on and so forth.  Even if they truly don't know we exist....when we are reading their deepest thoughts and viewing pictures of their children, style, home and life, it endears us to them in a sort of fashion as one would with a real, live, breathing friend.  And as one begins to form these alliances of sorts, these so-called friendships, it also bears a lot of influence on our thoughts, feelings, tastes and desires.


   Just think about it.  Before the internet, who did we even care about?  The people we actually KNEW.  The ones that we had a relationship with, flesh and blood, and would actually see and hear and encounter. 

   But now?  NOW there's an entire UNIVERSE on the internet that for some reason, we have to somehow impress.  Somehow, we are supposed to be charming to people we've never even seen, and have this amazing sense of fashion, all the while being held up next to runway models and people who buy clothing from the highest end fashion lines, and not Goodwill.  Our house is supposed to look like Pottery Barn and our kids are supposed to look like they stumbled out of a crewcuts ad campaign, even if they're potty training and teething and fighting a cold and growing out their bangs.  There is no mercy when comparing yourself to the online world, because online, there is always someone better, prettier, fancier, amazing-er.  


    P.S. Just go ahead and ignore the baby drool on my sleeve......on second thought, don't ignore it.  Take a good, long look at its sticky grossness.  That's something you don't see very often on the internet, a bit of reality.   Life of a mom, folks.  Get used to it. 

   Dressing your kids nicely? Having a pretty home?  Those are things that we can aspire to in our own, small ways, and there is no problem in that.  But comparing yourself to the entire, wide world web and beyond and hoping to be able to keep up in every way?  Arts, crafts, music, fashion, decor, style, cooking, vacations?  It's just not feasible in this life or the next.  And we must remember, we are ALWAYS comparing our weaknesses with other people's strengths.  We've lost before we've begun. 

   So why do we even try?  What drives us to perform in these areas of life?  Well, I don't know what it is for you all, but I'm starting to figure out what it is for me. For me, it is the "friends" that I choose, and have chosen.  Blogs that I faithfully read, that slowly but surely turn my focus towards things like fashion, decor, and the latest and greatest baby gear.  Frankly I'm getting a little burned out on it all.


   I want to start reading some blogs that take me back to what matters most.  WHO matters most.  I want blogs that challenge me to faithfully read my Bible, as faithfully as I would peruse Etsy for the perfect sock doll.  I want a blog that inspires me to pray more, as much as one might inspire me to try color-blocking in my wardrobe.  I want a blog that reminds me to turn to Jesus and discover more and more of Who He is, much like one might remind me to be a little more adventurous in my cooking and  home decor.  Do you know of some blogs that do that?  If so, please share them with me.  I need a little bit more of that influence in my life right now.  And maybe a little less Pinterest.  ;)