The perfect post

We’ve all looked at facebook/instagram posts and thought, “Man, they really have everything working out well for them. I wish I could do that. They are so lucky and have no clue about how hard lif can be.” Well, most likely, WE have no clue. Do we ask ourselves, “What were going through before or after the photo or why they posted that photo? Is there something or someone missing from the photo? How many shots did it take to get everything coordinated?” Well, today’s photo might look perfect but that is not the whole story or even close to it. Oh, today was not the almost impossible day that I had 2 days ago, but it was a challenging one. If not for the voice of a little girl in my head (see next post), I never would have made it to the spot where that picture was taken. The initial assent was hard and it was raining. I was so thirsty that I worried I would run out of the water I was carrying, hours before I was done. But, what was most challenging was the wind. It was blowing at a constant strength that made me have to concentrate on balancing all the time. I longed for a lower center of gravity. Trekking poles had to be closely monitored to prevent the wind from lifting them and flinging me to the ground. And, it was quite chilly, despite wearing

2 pairs of pants, 3 shirts and a jacket. So, when you see a “perfect” post,know that there is more going on underneath. Make sure to take the time to ask those same friends how they are doing and give them openings to confide in you about things that might be making their lives more difficult than you could ever imagine.