Dear Jessica Brennan,
If a tree falls in the forest, and no one posts a picture of it on social media, did it really happen?
There is a thing in our skull called a brain, and within that brain, among other things, is the capacity for memory. I know this is not what anyone wants to hear. Memory? Isn’t that why we have social media?
“Here are your memories from three years ago,” a post pops up to tell you. Oh yes, three years ago we went to the Waltzing Weasel for a pint with Dave. Thank goodness, I would have never guessed that.
Do not get me wrong, I like to post things too, but only the good stuff. The sort-of real stuff. Rarely the really-real stuff and never the bad-real stuff because I, like most people want to portray a nice shiny beautiful life.
I largely have a beautiful life, but not because it looks good in a photograph, because many of the best parts are not documented or documentable. Certainly not photographable. Here are some things that are fantastic about my life that I would not post on my various feeds. PS – These are actually the best memories in the making.
- I don’t run marathons at 5 AM on a Sunday morning (#shocking), so while others are posting about that, I am often lying on the couch in my pajamas until 11 o’clock trying to slay the New York Times crossword. If Dad is home, there is a better chance of its completion. #genius.
- My toothbrush doesn’t warrant its own Instagram page. I’m not the first person to ever get up and brush my teeth in the morning, but sometimes in the morning while I’m brushing my teeth, you send me a note Dear Jessica, that just says, “Love you”, for no reason but to say it. Screen-shotting and posting it would be very wrong because it is just between me and you, but it’s one of the best things.
- While another selfie exactly like the last 4000 we’ve already seen of some boring mouthpiece who thinks that “likes” actually mean people like her is being uploaded, dinner sometimes comes out of my oven, and gets to the table, and Dad, in a moment of ridiculous insanity is actually sitting there ready to eat it, as opposed to being upstairs with his headphones on shouting, “I’m coming”. (He’s not of course). This is a particularly rare and spectacular yet un-tweetable moment.
- While someone is uploading a video of a fight they saw between a guy and his girlfriend at Starbucks, I get a text from Dad late at night, that is exactly the same as every other text I have received from him when he’s on the road, for the last 10 years. “Show was great!!! Going down for a pint! Love, me!!! (Because Dad always signs his texts so I don’t think someone has stolen his phone and is texting me with it about their particular great show). This late night correspondence is like a warm hug and puts my mind at rest, and is my cue that it is okay to go to sleep.
- When my roots are being dyed, and my bathroom is being cleaned, and the weeds are getting pulled before they strangle us all. These are not post-able moments, but they are puttering, everyday moments that actually eclipse the reality TV moments that we all seem to thrive on. Me? I love a good putter.
The best things in life often seem mundane and not spectacular, but they are the glue that gives us stability and comfort. They are the things we often forget, but will one-day be the moments we want to remember and guess what? They really happen even though they may not show up on Instagram.
Love,
Mum xo
