Love_sign

One of the primary criticisms of social media is that people present an idealized representation of their lives. We get to see the beautiful photos of the beach they sat on while on vacation but we don't see the mildew in the resort bathroom or the credit card bill they incurred for the privilege. People are more than willing to share the pictures of the prefect steaks on their grills without also showing the seven Lean Cuisines they ate in the past three days. We don't see pictures of how our friends look after just waking up or read a lot about the opportunities they didn't get at work and are therefore not pleased to announce on LinkedIn.

I am as guilty as anyone in some ways. I would rather not be a Debbie Downer or mark myself as a whiner by complaining online. Who really wants to hear that? As a photographer, I'm going to take 1000 pictures to show you 10. That's the way it works. Most of us are not pretending to be someone we are not. We are just putting our best foot forward, sharing things we are proud of or that we are celebrating. I know my friends well enough to know they don't have perfect lives, regardless of what it looks like on Facebook, Bluesky or Mastodon. Hopefully, I don't have too may friends still using Twitter.

As a blogger whose style is autobiographical, I strive to be honest. I don't mind revealing a few warts. The people who know me, know I have them, and what do I really have to lose if the people who don't know me find out my various imperfections? I would hope they would get it on some level. By not pretending to be perfect, I think it makes the rest of what I write more relatable.

I'd like to be able to present myself as having been born with great political sensibilities, but that isn't the case. Teenage me had no understanding of politics. The vote I cast in my first presidential election isn't something I talk about much. There was no passion and not much thought behind it. I voted because the country gave me the privilege because I'd managed to live for 18 years. I even skipped a couple of elections. I felt vaguely guilty about it, but it just seemed like a hassle. In 1988, I could not have told you much of anything about George H. W. Bush or Michael Dukakis.

When it comes to tech, the field where I made my career, there are many, many areas where I have little aptitude and less interest. I was happy as a K-12 IT specialist for two decades. In tech, like other fields, if you want to advance, you have to leave the keyboard and mouse skills behind and take up the soft skills of managing people to advance. Call me a slacker, but I was not interested. I'm finishing out my working years in higher ed, doing end user support with no interest in becoming a network engineer or a system administrator. I'm not having a contest with anyone in real life or on the Internet to be the smartest computer guy in the room. I just want my paycheck and room to do the job I have.

In my personal life, what you see is mostly what you get. I do, in fact, adore my wife. She treats me great and while I won't tell you her every complaint, I can assure you that they are all warranted and none of them are selfish. I have some family relationships that are more difficult than others, but again, the truth is that I love being a Dad and a grandfather more than just about anything apart from being Wonder Woman's husband.

I am just another regular guy with one list of things I am proud of and another list I don't want to talk about. I'm pretty happy in general, although I'm worried about the world, both right now and in the future. I do my best to be genuine, even if my story telling instinct can be a bone of contention between me and my personal fact-checker (Wonder Woman).

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