Day in the Life : Behind the Scenes
Last week was crazy, and I mean that in the best of ways! Lately my life has been full…so full of good and lovely and wonderful things, both in work and in my personal life, and while it’s amazing, it’s also a bit exhausting. Sometimes, as I’m running from task to task, I find myself getting anxious and I lose sight of how incredible this little life of mine is these days. My kids are finally old enough to be much more independent, I’ve started my own business, what used to be a hobby is now my JOB, and I have the flexibility to have the life I’ve dreamed of…and yet I can get stuck in the hectic busy-ness of it all. I know this is just a phase of life, and I won’t always feel this crazed, but it’s easy to get lost in the list of things to do and the little amount of time I have to do it all.
So last Wednesday I looked at my calendar and decided I needed to find something to be grateful for every, single hour. I had a huge day scheduled. It was April Fools Day, I was hosting Tate’s school Easter party, I had my first newborn photo session of the year, and we had both piano and soccer after school. In between I had deadlines and daily work I needed to get done. I was overwhelmed with all of it, but I had an idea that I thought would help.
I’m a huge fan of Instagram, so I decided it would be fun to do a “Day in the Life” series, where I would post a picture every hour of what was happening in my day. I started when I got up in the morning, and went until my head hit the pillow that night. I posted a photo as Tate exchanged plastic eggs with his buddies and as I arranged a sweet baby in a prop for our session. I shared as I helped Lulu with piano and as I edited late at night when the rest of the house was asleep. I wanted to share my day, but this project was also a bit self-serving. You see, I know the arguments against sharing photos of the “good stuff” on social media. I get it. It’s not realistic to think that every great photo of a beautiful kid smiling in the sunshine is indicative of someone’s entire life. Of course there are bad moments and tantrums in the grocery store. But I decided a while ago to try and focus on the good things in my life, and posting about those happy moments on social media (especially in photos) helps me cultivate gratitude and joy. So, for me, sharing the good moments doesn’t feel inauthentic. It feels like an act of thankfulness.
I shared my day on Instagram under the hashtag #dayinthelifeofmeg, and found the whole experience to be uplifting. It helped me take a crazy day and turn it into a series of beautiful moments. There is a lot of calm amidst the crazy! I also loved being able to share a bit of what my life looks like as a work-at-home mom and freelancer. I think there is a misconception that freelancers spend most of their time in coffee shops, leisurely writing their memoirs or something…and that couldn’t be further from the truth in my case! I work very hard so that I can be flexible and be with my family when they need me. It’s certainly not always easy, but it’s always worth it.
