I scroll down my social media feed. A smile here. A smile there. A fun adventure and people laughing. Fuzzy animals. Fuzzy socks. And what do they all have in common? They are all moments captured in a larger set of time. Time that we don't always remember. Time that seems to disappear almost as instantly as smoke. And what's left behind are those moments. Which, don't get me wrong, isn't a bad thing. Yes time is made up of moments but the effect those moments can have on our perception is astounding.
I always longed for boyfriend. Someone to take those cute pictures with. To show off the adventures we go on. To wear fuzzy socks with me (if you can't tell, I'm wearing fuzzy socks right now). But never have I wanted a boyfriend as badly as I do now, when my friends are posting their photos of their relationships and I'm feeling lonely and left-out. That's what happens when I forget those are just moments in time. Snap shots in a larger story. A larger story that isn't always seen.
Instagram relationships aren't real. I mean they are real. As real as moments are. But they aren't time. There is so much behind the scenes that isn't always shown. So much behind the scenes that makes up the majority of the relationship. Presenting an image is what we are taught to do. We have grown up doing it and we will keep doing it. But your can't judge a book by its cover. Ever relationship has its problems. Some have more problems than others and that's okay. The important thing to remember is that, those moments captured in a relationship aren't always the standard. Those are meant to present a picture of love. But that's not a guide to an everyday relationship.
It's more than okay to want a relationship. But what's not okay is holding every perfect Instagram relationship as the standard. No one is going to make an argument with their significant other public. No one is going to make those boring, deep-clean Sunday's public. And why should they. A relationship is between two people. However, it's so easy to forget that those things go on when all that is posted on social media is that picture of love. I guess what I'm trying to say is, don't judge what you have or don't have by what is portrayed. Remember, those are only moments in time, not time itself.
