Maintaining perspective

My first post on this blog, here it is. I've kind of dragged my feet about starting this new blog, I'm trying to understand myself why that is. I love reading blogs. They bring a lot of inspiration and good into my life. But I guess what's really been on my mind a lot lately is figuring out balance, keeping it real and loving who you are instead of comparing yourself and caring way too much about what other people think. I ran across this clever and honest post by Martha about maintaining a realistic perspective about what we see on blogs. I think this understanding is important for everyone to achieve. Yes, cute outfits make us feel better when we step out the door; and yes, a well-designed kitchen is probably a dream for many of us (but few of us have our dream kitchen); and yes, we wish all the parties we threw were "blogable", but does it matter? Hanging out with friends is really about just being together and connecting. Food and decor is secondary. Yes, it's fun and does make the event feel special; but it's better to get together and not have all the elements perfect than to not get together at all. So this summer, celebrate being with your family and your friends and remember that all the little details are just added bonuses, but not necessary.

I really like the last paragraph of her post: "If we stay true to ourselves, love ourselves, live a balanced life, we can simply enjoy what we do do. We can get real. See things as they are. We can gain joys from our own simple silly lives. No matter how unpicture-perfect they may seem. Just do the best you can. Be the olympian of your own life. I beg of you, please be happy with who you are, what you have to offer."

It's something I struggle with myself, to not compare and to just be happy with who I am and what I have. But I hope to continue to improve in that area and I'm making it my goal to do so here, on the K&J.