Peception and reality

Perception is a funny thing. The American Heritage Dictionary has this as their 3rd definition of perception:

a. Recognition and interpretation of sensory stimuli based chiefly on memory.

b. The neurological processes by which such recognition and interpretation are effected

We all have our own unique set of emotions, experiences and genetics to draw upon to shape our perceptions. Nobody's is the same; yes, they can be similar but always different. And we all try to manipulate other people's perceptions to a certain degree. I do it too.

Before this blog, I think I had perfected the art of managing perception. From the outside, it seems like my life is "perfect." Okay, maybe not perfect but I have everything that many people hope for: a loving, supportive spouse, two beautiful children, a nice house, two cars.... If anyone asked, I'd say everything was good and nothing was wrong. There are a slew of excuses stored in the back of my mind for almost any question. The thing about that is I never hid them as well as I'd thought. I think I knew it too, which is probably why almost everyone was kept at a distance. (and most still are) If someone really knew the truth then I'd be exposed as a fraud or an imposter - like I shouldn't be feeling this way or I'm not the one who should be leading this life.

It's like that with my writing too, this is mostly stream of consciousness writing and I don't view it as anything special or amazing. Someone else may think it's great because they feel it is beyond their level; whereas with me and another blog I read, I think her writing is amazing and I view her as a talented writer. It's all about perception and what we view as reality.