We all do it. We post the highlighted version of ourselves to our social media platforms and it all starts to become a competition to see who has the most enviable life. I’ve worked very hard to be where I am today and to have the lifestyle that I do and I’m happy with it, but I also fall into that trap of sharing my life to social media platforms with rose tinted glasses.
It is with this in mind that I thought it would be fun to pick some of my posts from the past week and give you a rundown of ‘Facebook vs Reality’. Mainly just for laughs, but I hope that you give it a go and share yours – I’d love to see!
Facebook:
A beautiful and peaceful bike ride along the coastal road between Camps Bay and Llandudno.
Reality:
The road is actually quite an incline. Made the mistake of going down first and then up again. The ‘up’ bit is relentless, and for someone who is not really a cycler and has back issues which dictate that I should not be riding up inclines just yet, it was just dumb. The only way to get back up to my car was to push through the pain and think about a long soak in my hot bath afterwards. This shot was taken as I finally got back to my car, happy, but guilty and anticipating the after effects that I would feel the next day.
Facebook:
A breathtaking shot of Chapman’s Peak, clouded by a moody blanket, fast moving along to the city.
Reality:
Spent the morning trying to work at a coffee shop in Kalk Bay because the renovations of the apartment above me never seem to stop and I could’t go in to the office today. After ordering breakfast and coffee, spent a long while trying to connect to their wifi and used the allocated data in 30 seconds flat, as my Dropbox decided to sync all the biggest files in the world at that minute. Switched off the syncing and got some more data. It got zapped again by something unknown. Managed to reply to an email. Tried my 3G dongle and spent the next hour getting excited every time it looked like a page was going to load. Tried wifi again, then 3G, then gave up and went shopping down the Main Road. Pulled myself out of Oh So Boho by my hair and went home. Nearly killed a cyclist struggling up Chapman’s Peak who weaved into the road at a sharp bend. Stopped at the next viewpoint and took this shot.
Facebook:
Oh how lovely to start the day on horseback!
Reality:
Managed to get my horse in at a yard which I thought was perfect for us, but is far from it. This shot was taken after I had to ask a favour of another rider to please help me get my horse from her yard, across a main road in peak hour traffic, past a taxi rank and 10 minutes down the road to an arena that we can actually ride in. After that trauma (it was pretty bad… cars back up and hooting and a terrified horse stuck in the middle of it with me on top!), I spent another half an hour trying to control a horse that was spooking at every little thing – a tree, a rock, the sand, the sky, horses, dogs, a ghost for all I know. Fought some more and managed to do a bit of schooling (took this shot at one calm moment). Attempted a walk back along the river and she wouldn’t touch the water. Spent more time fighting and tugging and trying to coax her across. She wouldn’t budge, so we gave up and went back along the road.
Facebook:
Lovely day for a picnic in Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens!
Reality:
Went out for drinks the night before and made the mistake of ordering a large frozen margarita at Rafiki’s, because the little ones looked REALLY little. Turns out that a ‘large’ is actually a big jam jar, so is more like a jug. It was delicious so I drank it all (and before it melted), so woke up with an unplanned hangover. Dragged myself out of bed to make hummus and get to the picnic with my friends. It was such a beautiful day and a beautiful picnic but I wanted to die.
Facebook:
Beautiful sunset while strolling along the promenade in Sea Point.
Reality:
Yes, it was. I spent the whole time wishing I was running it, rather than strolling it. My current back issues prevent me from running at the moment and that’s all I want to do. Running on the promenade and up Chapman’s Peak are my favorite things in the world to do and I miss it terribly. I tripped up some runners in my mind out of spite and then immediately felt bad and turned to gawk at the sunset instead.
So it”s not all entirely false, but every picture has a story and it’s not always as rosy at it seems. We all exaggerate our successes and our happy moments with the social media versions of ourselves. I’m okay with it, I quite like it. It helps me to see the beauty in every situation and also helps me through some obstacles in the road. I’m more than happy to continue to highlight moments in my life. It’s important to appreciate.
