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Ever since Melody posted about her facebook addiction and the “cool whip” diet, I’ve had one question going through my mind…what is real?
If you haven’t seen the cool whip diet video (totally worth the 7 minutes and don’t worry…Melody didn’t really eat 20 tubs of Cool Whip) 
, then let me tell you about what we call “Cool Whip” in our lives.
Imagine if all you ever ate was Cool Whip….you could eat it all day along and never feel full or satisfied. And you probably couldn’t do it for even a day…probably not even one meal….before you started feeling sick and your body started craving something substantial. And you’d change things right away….you’d go looking for an apple or a baked potato or a string cheese…SOMETHING else.
So take that analogy and apply it to your life…to your soul….to the things you spend your time and energy on. Some of it’s Cool Whip….stuff we do all day long that doesn’t matter at. all. Yet we keep doing these things….hoping that somehow they’ll fill us up if we have enough of them. The truth is, they never ever will. Just like Cool Whip will never ever satisfy our bodies, soul Cool Whip will keep us feeling empty, unsatisfied and yearning for more.
Thing is…it’s EASY to change! We just have to find the Cool Whip in our lives and replace it for what’s real.
Let me tell you about some Cool Whip in my life…
This is Jackson, my 2 1/2 year old. He is awesome.
This summer, we got rid of his pacifier, and in it’s place we started helping him to go sleep by singing him a couple of songs at night. Most nights it is blissful….just like you would picture a perfect painting of a mother singing to her baby. Other times it is…less than that. On one of those nights I remember thinking, “I should get a cd….then he could listen to songs as long as he wanted…” Here’s what I quickly realized:
Buying a CD of lullabies would be Cool Whip for him and for me…we would be missing out. Singing Songs together every afternoon for nap and every night for bedtime is real.
Face to face with my little boy.
This will matter in 5 years and 10 years and 100 years.
I will remember these tender years. He will too. It only lasts 10 minutes at each bedtime…these are maybe the most important 10 minutes I spend each day.
Here’s another one…
At night, we like to sit together as a family and watch a movie or a show on tv. Most of the time the kids are half-watching and Jeff and I are on our laptops. We’re trying to be better. Last night we were watching a movie (really watching this time, even!), and a big storm started up… a downpour of rain complete with thunder and lightning. Normally we would have just let it pass. Last night we turned off the tv and the 3 of us opened the blinds and watched the storm. It was awesome for so many reasons.
Lesson Learned: Not many things that are REAL come from sitting on the couch in front of a screen….but lots of real things can come from sitting on the couch in front of a window with my guys.
I think we ALL want to live REAL and AUTHENTIC lives….but in our world it’s easy not to. For the first time in history what’s fake is easier to find that what’s real…so help us out. Help us figure out what is REALLY REAL.
Now it’s YOUR turn….
what is REAL to you??
Tell us and Brave Girls everywhere what “Cool Whip” you’re replacing in your life with what’s real in the comments…can’t wait to hear!!
We love you sooo much!!
xoxo
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Spending time with your parents or in my case parent. Whether your 16 or 45 . Like it or not they will always have an influence in our lives.
I love this post! With all the hyperactivity and over-technologized (it’s not a real word…) activities it is harder and harder to remember to be ‘real’. To be in the moment and enjoy the simple art of nature is one of the best experiences you can get! I agree, simply talking with my parents, brothers, or a good friend are some of the greatest treasures I have.
Lying on the grass and staring at the sky with my niece. Seeing what the clouds look like. What shapes do we see, does one look like an animal or a person, are they wispy or big? We did this when she was 3 years old and she is now 17 and we still do it together. So much fun!
I got my first taste of being ‘unplugged’ when I was at BG Camp – and I never MISSED any of it – no cell, no computer, no tv. But it’s amazing how fast I fell back into the grind when I got home.
So, what I have decided is that I must live at BG Camp all the time. 24/7/365.
My “Cool Whip” is my worry. I worry even when worry is unnecessary. I want to replace my cool whip (worry) with living for today and enjoying the moment!
Wonderful post…keep up the wonderful, inspiring things that you do!
Your comment about watching a movie caught my attention. I read to my step-sons (7 & 9) every night they are with us. This summer we read Black Beauty, The Black Stallion, and started the Chronicles of Narnia. They LOVED The Black Stallion, so tonight we watched the movie, the one starring Mickey Rooney. We all loved it! It is a movie with very little dialogue, nearly everything is told through pictures, movement, emotion. And because there wasn’t much to miss aurally, we were able to discuss the differences between the book and the movie while we were watching it. It was real. And because this is something *I* loved from my childhood, I could tell them, “This is one of the parts I always remembered from this movie.” And I got to say that twice. And they got it. It was awesome. It was very, very real. And the popcorn was delicious!
What is real is looking into someone’s eyes…your children, husband, parents, friends, co-workers, the grocery store clerk, strangers…every person who crosses your path in a day. How often we look, but don’t see. Making eye contact, even if but for a moment, is real.
Thanks for all the moving posts. There has been more than one day, where I needed to the words for someone, and I didn’t have them. But, you did. You are truly blessed to use your words and photos to express some amazing truths. (And that’s real, too!),
I went for a walk on a nearby jogging trail with my 3 year old grandaughter…she has been wanting to go…she calls it “the forest” She may not consciously remember it…but that memory is part of here whole life now.
Oh..and it was 104 that day. lol…
Real = spending time really talking with my 16 year old twin girls when they get home from school. Sometimes we talk well into dinner time and totally forget to watch tv. The best part of this is we are really talking and laughing and enjoying each other.
Not real = watching really bad tv late at night by myself instead of going to bed and getting a good night sleep. I’m getting better with this, but I do ask my husband to remind me that it is bed time and make me get in bed with a good book instead.
Wasting time being angry at other people’s actions or reactions and instead-Doing/Reacting to things with love-even if the person/situation doesn’t deserve it….if you keep (real love) in your heart, then all your actions are real and true-it’s a hard lesson to learn and follow sometimes, but it’s worth it! Great post-thank you so much-light and love-amanda
Ohhh by ALL means keep singing to him. One day, you will start to sing and he will stop you and let you know that you don’t have to sing him a song.
With our youngest being 15 … I can’t quite recall when he did that, but it happens. ENJOY these moments. One day many years in the future, your son might be singing his children to sleep because MOMMY took the time to do that with him. Awesome gift for future generations. wink
What is real to me is just surviving another day. My DH passed away 7 months ago, leaving me with 2 adult children ( one son, one daughter) and 2 teenage daughters. Trying to figure out what of the 1000 things can I get accomplished, what I just need to let go.
Real is knowing that somehow, someway. we will be ok. Not great or healed, but we will be ok.
When I make sure I am not on the phone or otherwise distracted when my kids come home from school. It’s a long hard day out there and they need me there to cry to or generally complain or serve a snack or just listen or help with homework. THIS is REAL.
xo
Emily
When the power goes out and groans and sighs escape my childrens mouths. We light candles and play a game we call “Would You Rather” Taking turns-example: Would you rather eat popcorn with vinegar instead of butter or would you rather shampoo your hair with honey.
Just something silly for us to do to pass the time and spend our time giggling and using our imaginations. Spending time together…That’s REAL! And btw…my kids are teens…what could be better than your teens spending time with their parent!!! :O)
My Cool whip- Worrying about things that I have no control over or have not come to view.
The smell of the outside trapped in my dogs’ fur. The myopic stare of my oldest cat. The bright blue of my husband’s eyes. The belief that each day is a gift to be enjoyed and treasured.
Turning off the tv (the cool whip) and sitting outside after dark with my husband and enjoying the cool night air, wind through the trees, lightening bugs, frogs croaking in the creek and talking. And sometimes not talking…just quietly enjoying…maybe holding hands, maybe not. Just being in the “real” moment of our life. Playing a game of Operation that we both played as kids…he still has his and it still works! And laughing and encouraging steady hands so we don’t get buzzed! Complaining about how impossible it is to get the tiny little “pen” out of the tiny little slot. No way! Thanks for the reminder that I need to create more real and less cool whip.