Can we be REAL?

February 17th is my last day working for All Purpose Cleaners!!! WOOOO HOOOOOO! Farewell to being taken advantage of! I can endure these last couple weeks because the end is in sight! Ahhh yes, I am so relieved.
Some thoughts I've been pondering recently: No one is honest about how difficult life really is. I wonder why? (I have my theories) No one warns you that you'll never live the life you have planned. I'm grateful for the life I have, but every day I struggle to let go of dreams not realized. Part of me needs to learn how to find joy in the mundane, and another part of me doesn't want to settle for mediocrity. "They" say that people will disappoint you, but "they" never say that the person who will disappoint you the most is yourself. Multiple times each day I have to forgive myself for being less than my best self. Frequently I become upset and frustrated because my efforts are never enough. I am imperfect, flawed, hypocritical, prideful, impatient, judgmental, insecure, scared, ashamed, lazy, pessimistic, and so impeccably human. Let's be honest with ourselves, none of us are as put-together as we look on the outside.You rarely come across a person who is willing to cut the act and be vulnerable. How often do you come across a person who says "Hi, I'm John and I'm an alcoholic" unless you're at an AA meeting. Life messes us up, all of us. No one is immune from sin, grief, pain, death, addiction, loss, sorrow, loneliness, failure, fear, and temptation. So why don't we admit to these things? Why do we as humans work so fiercely to protect our pathetic fragile egos? I'm disgusted by the walls of steel we, myself included, build around our hearts, souls, and insecurities. Instead of being honest, we blame and compare. Instead of being genuine, we dress ourselves in layers of facades. At the core of love, fulfillment, and meaningful relationships is vulnerability. And so, we do ourselves a serious misfortune by not being vulnerable.
To my children, I'm proud to say that I am desperately and infinitely in need of the atonement of Jesus Christ, and you are too. Regardless of what we do, it is by the grace of God that we can live with our Father in Heaven again. And that's a beautiful thing.