I’m introducing a new feature to Inspired RD, a weekly confession time. A chance to keep it real. An opportunity to pull back the curtain. A time to share something that didn’t make the highlight reel of my social media life.
Because life isn’t perfect, and neither am I.
Join me?
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Participate in the Weekly Confessions any way you want. Leave a comment, do your own “confession” blog post, let a friend in on your private life, anything that lets someone in on the real you.
Share a fear, a failure, a photo of your messy house. It doesn’t have to be serious, we can make this fun. Some weeks I might not even post any words, just a photo of a giant pile of laundry, or the mountain of crumbs under the kitchen table.
This is all about keeping it real and entering into more authentic community.
Yes, community. There are some of you who have been reading my blog for years and have never left a comment. I’d like to get to know you. And I’d like for you to get to know me. What better way to get to know each other than to jump out of our highlight reels and into honest conversation?
So I guess I’ll go first. This week’s confession has to do with fear. And one thing that I’ve learned about fear is that fear fears community.
“Fear always tries to isolate you and put you on an island. Fear always wants you to think you’re the only one that feels a certain way or has a certain doubt. Fear is terrified that you’ll get plugged into a community of other people and learn the truth.” – Jon Acuff
My confession: I haven’t gotten back in the saddle, the bike saddle, since my first ride (and crash) in February. I have all kinds of excuses (it’s too hot, I can’t leave the kids home alone, Jeff is working every day, blah blah blah), but to be honest I’m scared to try again. I have an expensive bike, bike helmet and shoes gathering dust in the garage because I’m afraid to climb back on.
There, I said it. My fear is exposed to community. And maybe that will give me the courage to face it.
Maybe.
Your turn now! What didn’t make your highlight reel this week?
Confession: I’ve eaten so much crap for weeks and fallen completely off my healthy wagon. I’ve also completely given up on working out because of issues with any type of impact (back and knee issues that are fairly serious)
But….
I have a commitment to ride bikes with my son 3x a week+ that started today, both for my health and his baseball (helps with getting faster and with endurance). We’re doing it before work/school and I’m excited.
And I’m starting back hard core with eating healthy tomorrow.
Watch out!
Get out there! Think of what you would say to your kids – you can’t succeed if you don’t try, get out there and do it… Maybe plan a fun slow ride around the neighborhood with the kids?
I have a post in my outbox titled Confession. I have wanted to get some of my “realness” out there a little more but haven’t had the guts to press publish. This new weekly thing might just be the way to get that done. Great idea Alysa!!
Confession: I have to narrow it to one? I have so many, I’ll save them so I have some each week.
Right now, I have spent way too much time on my work projects and not enough time with my kids. I’m trying to be more intentional and sit down to play a game with them. Phone no where to be found. Just focus on them.
Great post!!!
xx
As Usher says, “This is my confession…” I get frustrated with my 20 month old. He doesn’t talk yet, and when he is wailing and crying, it’s hard not to lose my cool. The one person in this world that means everything is also the one person who can’t help his crying… He doesn’t know any better. But he’s the one person who makes me crazy. And. I find myself saying “shut up!” To him… And that’s horrible. I’ve never called him any names, and omg I would never harm him… But it’s difficult to not just be frustrated. i usually pick him up and hug him afterwards, screams and all. And usually, that’s what he wanted anyway. He wins again.
I bought a bag of Swedish Fish and ate the whole thing in the matter of an evening:-) I said I was going to ration it out when I bought it and I’m pretty sure I knew I was lying to myself from the get-go.
Confession: I have NOT been working out, nor sticking to a healthy lifestyle since my Mother passed away, a year ago. I talk a good talk, try to get back to eating right, but feel like an utter failure. I’m up by 10 lbs. At one time it was almost 20 lbs.. but have lost 10. The thing is.. I’m a Dietetic Tech and know better….Shame and disgust is what I feel about myself right now. …so, there is my confession….
Confession: I made 24 carrot cake cupcakes for my best friends birthday and they were a total failure (I didn’t even give them to her, I threw them out). I blamed it on my oven’s temp being off, but I’m pretty sure I just messed up. Oh, did I mention I’m about to graduate from Culinary School, with a degree in Baking & Pastry?
I’m all about keeping it real these days- just did a post today about my confessions and how I am going to combat those this week!
My Confession: (BTW I love this! Great idea Alysa!)
I’ve been feeding my body junk since my son passed two months ago. I know it’s just an effect of how I feel inside (like #@%) but my better self knows that I need to do something about it. Falling off the wagon again this week is not an option! I’ve gotta get a game plan.
Confession: I have three loads of laundry that have been waiting for me to fold and put away (or get my kids to help) for a week. We’ve been too busy doing other things, yet I always tell myself I’ll do it after the kids go to bed.
I’m always too tired after the kids go to bed.
I let my kids watch TV so they will leave me alone while I cook dinner!
I also have a huge fear of bike-riding!! I wiped out so many times as a teenager on my bike, and my parents “affectionately” named my bike Crash .. I still haven’t found the courage to even buy a bike and get back to it. 🙁
I never learned to ride a bike and am afraid due my dad being horribly the worst non-supportive teacher, my mom always freaking out I would fall, and lived on a highway as a kid. I never learned to properly fall in other areas either. The only thing I look forward to in order to make up for it is skydiving someday. That I’m not scared of.
My husband rides and always says that you’re not a true cyclist until you fall off the first time. I can’t really talk, because I’m scared to clip in to road bike in the first place…but you’ve already had your first fall, and now you can just enjoy the ride.
Confession: I have an unfolded load of laundry that’s been sitting in the dryer since Friday. I will probably run it one more time before I actually take it out and fold it.
My confession is saying some not-so-nice things to my husband yesterday, on the way to church to teach 4th & 5th graders (this week’s lesson was about respect) to make it even worse! We have been in a period of waiting in our lives (waiting for him to get on the fire department, waiting to buy a house until we get our debt paid off, etc etc) and sometimes I get so frustrated with the wait that I let myself vent and blame him for us having to wait so long!! Talk about exemplifying DISrespect to the fullest. Needless to say I epically failed as a wife yesterday. I want to be his #1 fan 100% of the time, not just when I feel like it. This is definitely a work in progress.
Confession: I have a phobia of storms (and it’s monsoon season here in Arizona…). The fear these last 2 years has been taking over my life, that I cannot enjoy the little things. So to conquer this fear, I’ve had to make a lot of changes in the last month, and am slowly working through this fear. It’s embarrassing, but a fear is a fear. Whether you are afraid of snakes, flying airplanes, or afraid of storms, they all have the same underlying issues.
-Elizabeth from Get Busy Living blog (http://elizabethhermesch.blogspot.com/)
My confession (with thanks to JoDee Messina for the phrasing): My give-a-damns busted. I just don’t care about anything at work and haven’t since about May. It’s going to come back and bite me sometime, but I just can’t get myself to care. Sigh.
What a great post Alysa! Thank you!
My confession is I have now 4 weeks worth of my clean clothes still hanging in the laundry room that for some reason I cannot seem to take the easy step and move them to the closet. I continue to do laundry but just keep adding to them instead of moving them to the closet. I think I am hoping they will magically somehow make it to my closet. 🙂
I’m afraid to work out too hard because of my health issue that happened a year ago which wasn’t even caused by working out too hard.
Confession: ICE CREAM ADDICT.
I was just telling a friend how my blog needs a big ‘ol dose of reality. Thanks for the inspiration and motivation to do so!
Alright, so months ago I googled “sriracha & almond dip” and stumbled upon your blog (Btw, the dip was delicious). I also have some gluten intolerance issues and so I have enjoyed learning from you:) However, I realized you and I attend the same church, ( a VERY big church) in fact, I have seen you at church….But I didn’t say hi. Why you may ask? Because in some ways, I felt (and still feel) like I have been reading your “diary” almost like “spying” on you… which then makes me feel like a creeper. In the world of technology it’s hard to know how to navigate appropriate social behavior! So, hello Alysa, my name is Nikki and the next time I see you I will say “Hi” in person! On a side note, I enjoy reading your blog and appreciate the “vibe” you put out there 🙂
Hi Nikki! I totally understand that feeling, it can be a bit awkward to meet someone after you’ve been reading their blog for a while 🙂 But please say hi next time! What service do you usually go to?
I usually attend Saturday night and I serve in the nursery Sunday night…Thanks for being understanding, I will be sure to say Hi 🙂
We try to go on Sunday nights, so make sure to look for me then 🙂