The fact is that these days, I barely ever leave my house. I am a total hermit. I walk my kids to the bus stop in the morning and walk back to pick them up in the afternoon. I go to Westfield to do my shopping, and occasionally meet my mum or Lana for breakfast. And every Tuesday I go to Channel 7 studios for an hour to film my panel for The Daily Edition. And yes, that is exciting, but it is one hour a week. The rest of the time I can be found at home in front of my computer, doing the laundry, making school lunches, or, most afternoons, curled up in bed for a nap. I think I've seen one adult's film all year. I've been out to dinner maybe two or three times. And that is it.
Now, I'm not telling you this so you feel sorry for me. Far from it. I am very happy in my own little bubble at the moment. I like being at home. I have needed this time out. But I am very interested in the whole idea of perception and deception. People's lives are very rarely as they seem from the outside, and when you're viewing them through the prism of social media, this is doubly, triply, quadruply true.
Couples who appear happy on a screen can be miserable off it. Children who sound perfect in blog posts and Facebook updates may be little shits in real life. And online 'friends' might have absolutely nothing in common when you put them in a room together.
We post what we want people to know, we filter information and refine it, and then people see it through the lens of their own preconceived ideas. And that's okay. Just understand that what you see is not always the whole truth.
And if I'm leading a glamorous life, then you're a flying unicorn.
Hang on... you're NOT a flying unicorn, are you?