Within the recent past I feel as though there has been an upsurge in this idealistic “perfectly imperfect” life which isn’t actually at all about embracing imperfection but instead inserting a sort of “convenient imperfection” making it seem as though everyone has the perfect life by projecting the perfect kind of messiness.

Evidently this has been only exacerbated by the media. Social media is only a highlight reel, however the issue grows when it is advertised as being reality. For example, a model showing what they eat in a day being a cheeseburger and a pizza, a college student showing their day in their life studying at little cafes and going out with their friends, these are all only adding to the issue. These people are constantly talking about romanticizing their lives, always finding what is exciting and new about a given day, and showing a cookie cutter life with these “convenient imperfections” that look like nothing to the average person.

I’m not saying the issue is with finding beauty in the mundane, except I feel quite the contrary I really believe finding beauty in the mundane is essential to happiness and joy within everyday life because I think that it is there as long as you look for it. But what I am saying is that it is when these people preach an impossible standard of reality (that is really still a highlight reel) that is seemingly attainable, but in reality just simply is not, that is when the romanticist mindset turns sour.

So it isn’t that we can’t find joy in our everyday lives, even if we aren’t a celebrity, have a trust fund, or are a nepotism baby. It just is that we need to take in life exactly the way that it is given to us. Find the joy in as much as you can, it’s there you just have to be willing to receive it. Let yourself feel when things are hard or sad or disappointing, not everything is going to work out exactly then way you think they will and that is the same for everyone, but that doesn’t mean its all bad. Everything happens for a reason. Laugh and cry and smile and sing and dance and like and dislike and form opinions and look up and receive life for what it is. Because no one is going to see it the same and really that is what is so romantic about it.