InstaWorld: A Love Story
My husband and I met in November 2010. I'd arrived at a local bar with coworkers and had planned to meet up with some friends, as well. He happened to arrive with said friends. It was a truly God-orchestrated encounter! We hit it off right away and become fast friends. But we didn't even think about dating until about four months later.
We were blessed enough to have met when we did (though some may say the location was questionable!) Either way, we barely missed the cut-off for the age of dating technology (Enter Tinder, Bumble, Clover, etc!).
I'm not here to bash dating apps, many of my friends use them. But, I am concerned at the mindset many people I love and care for are taking when it comes to romantic relationships. It's as if the world thinks all relationships are to provide us with instant gratification and Instagram galleries full of beauty and staged perfection.
Take this picture, for example. Taken the night we met, this picture if far from today's view of "insta-worthy". Though only six years ago, the photo quality is grainy at best, it's dark and blotchy and certainly not squared up properly. Shadows are cast on the backdrop and no amount of 'smooth' will fix the clarity.
The picture was taken in an instant, but the relationship between the two in the picture was built over long conversations, heartbreak, bad decisions, distance, good decisions, hard work, and ultimately a promise to be each other's ride-or-die until death.
In a world of instant coffees, instant messages, Instagram and now instant meetups and hookups - the above notion isn't exactly at the forefront of our minds. We tend to think life will actually look like our social media accounts portray.
By all means, please explore creatively and utilize social media to further your business or artistic ventures! But please, take caution when viewing someone's relationship on social media. What's actually behind the beautifully staged home, smiles, hot coffee and opened book, picturesque vacation destinations or even a smiley selfie might be worlds apart from what you're viewing.