“Anyone who imagines that bliss is normal is going to waste a lot of time running around shouting that he has been robbed. The fact is that most putts don’t drop, most beef is tough, most children grow up to be just people, most successful marriages require a high degree of mutual toleration, and most jobs are more often dull than otherwise.
Life is just like an old-time rail journey…delays, sidetracks, smoke, dust, cinders, and jolts, interspersed only occasionally by beautiful vistas and thrilling bursts of speed. The trick is to thank the Lord for letting you have the ride.”
-Jenkin Lloyd Jones
Should I be sleeping instead of writing this post? Probably, but I can’t get this topic off my mind. That must mean it is important, right?
A while back, I received a DM from a girl interested in diving into silversmithing. The conversation was great. She was sweet enough to follow it up with a compliment about how well I balance my business, ag-life, and family. I love kind people, sooo much, but to be honest, I have not been able to kick the sick feeling in my stomach. What have I done?! My Instagram page is full of bologna if that is what people think when they visit it. My balance is on par with Humpty Dumpty's right now. Let me give you a picture of why this is keeping me up at night…
Teaching history was my first career choice. I loved teaching high school. We are talking LOVED it, but holy smokes has childhood changed since social media hit the scene. Growing up, the adults in my life always responded with "the grass is always greener" whenever they heard me comparing my life to someone else's. What do kids today get? Endless posts and pages that only tell one part of the story of our lives... only the good angles & only the good shots. What a disservice.
It happens without us even meaning to... social media sets us up for it. Social media is the new factor that is changing how life looks for generations of people. We have to evolve with that change and become more aware of what we are putting out there for kids to compare themselves to. If we act like our businesses, relationships & marriages, and/or social lives are perfect we are setting kids up for a lot of pain when real life hits them because reality is very imperfect.
What else might not be perfect, but would be pretty dang cool? Sharing some of our imperfections AND how we go about life anyway. Imagine what that could teach kids. We could show them how to cope with hard things, how to be grateful for life while it is challenging... really the door is wide open to all kinds of cool lessons.
2022 will bring a little more authenticity to OX Jewelry. You can count on it.
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