Ever heard of show and tell? Of course you have- it’s something I can say I have NEVER done in my classroom. A professor of mine called it “Bring and Brag” and in the age of social media- I get it. As I start to see people’s Best of Nine- it got me to thinking… hear me out.
I think it’s amazing for grandma in Idaho to see the best nine moments of our lives- the kids- the milestones- the firsts- there is beauty in the connection that social media brings us. That said- there is also fall out. As I scrolled through a dear friend’s “Year in Review” my heart felt so very happy for all she had experienced last year. She deserves everything that is good in this world- and that said- it STILL left me feeling like my life was less-than. Did I even have nine best things to share? Even with a pure heart- I was troubled.
As I began to think back at my Hits and my Misses- in the classroom, on the blog, in my life- there was a lot to mull over. I found my hits being the things that didn’t show up in my camera roll. Some things were SO LITTLE- but they felt big to me. It’s hard to understand my best of nine- if well, you aren’t me. It’s just another reason I know they matter so much to MY story. It’s another reason I keep them tucked away- for safe-keeping. Maybe I’ll write them down to remember- but that’s between me- and my pen.
Sometimes I wonder what they point of sharing those things are- do we need to be validated- are we bringing and bragging because we are conforming to our social media culture? There’d be no Jones’ to keep up with if at least SOME people out there didn’t do it for this reason. Or maybe we just share so grandma can see the moments… and like I said- that’s beautiful.
But if you’re like me and your camera roll seemed to let you down, if you couldn’t fill up a best of nine grid- take a step back. Not everything worth something can be seen in the first place.
Look through that memory book of yours less with your eyes and more with your heart and maybe you’ll see more than you did to begin with.
xo
I totally have that FSA me feeling about the best of nine. I do enjoy looking back at highlights of the year but sometimes I do get sad thinking about things that didn’t get done in 2019 that I see on others “best of”.
I totally hear you Jamie. Hopefully we can show ourselves some grace and celebrates all of the wins- big or small!