There are so many things I haven’t blogged about that Past Jessica totally would have.
I’m going to explain the why and then we’ll never speak of it again.
I hate, dislike, get sick over, gets hives from, and every-other-synonym-for-the-preceding-sentiments social media. That’s it. Bam. I’ve said it. I just don’t like how I feel when I’m scrolling. I hate the picture-perfect squares of fantasy that exist there and how nothing ever is the sum of its reality. It’s just an unintentionally, maybe at times intentionally, insensitive world to the differences which exist between us regarding society, income, family, status, life choices, etc. Because of this, I took a break* from blogging and posting in general because being part of that world makes my brain work too hard.
*Something those of you who have been reading this blog forever are used to.
But I also see the good in social media. I do, I do, I swear I do. To those of you who love social media, it’s me, not you.
I don’t know if I’ll ever find the balance. I find joy in writing about life—real life—and I love Instagram and my blog for the simple historical aspect.* But then I feel bad about not being active. About not liking and loving every single picture of people I know.
*Do you know how many times I go to both to try to remember a place I visited or a funny moment or the date when something important occurred? A lot.
It’s tough.
The last two years have been weird for me. They’ve been filled with change. They’ve been framed by heartbreak. But they have also had shimmers of beauty.
Jonathan is a constant shimmer of beauty in my world.
October is Down Syndrome Awareness Month and since the month is at its end, in tribute to this month and one of my favorite people, I thought I’d share the top moments missed from this blog during the past year* involving Jonathan, starting with his 30th birthday bash and ending around when he turned 31.
*In other words, I’ve barely blogged about personal stuff for over a year.
Jon turned 30 last year and we celebrated with a Hawaiian themed birthday luau.
Then, Hubby and I took him to Hawaii for his birthday present.
We soaked up every bit of sunshine we possibly could
Jon was adventurous
We couldn’t resist matching on our last night like other tourists so love to do
We sat under the Lahaina Banyan Tree, never dreaming our hearts would break for it and the people of Lahaina less than a year later
For Halloween, Jon dressed up as Elvis and I was a Hawaiian tourist
We visited graves–one of Jon’s favorite pastimes
Jon competed in the Summer Special Olympics and our brother, Andrew, got to give him his medals
We spent a lot of time in the pool
But also took the occasional day trip to one of our favorite places: Princeton
We even convinced Lance to take a day off to hang with us
Do you see what I see in those pictures? The joy that fills Jon’s face in every circumstance and situation?
It’s contagious. If you can, I highly recommend finding a Jon to bring shimmers of beauty into your life.
Leave a Reply