Sweet Dreams are Made of These: top 5 reasons why i love instagram

i will admit it

i am an instagram addict

those who have not yet experienced the wonder of this social media app

often ask me why i love it so much

why i like it better than Facebook

and why would they want to bother with it

so here are my top 5 reasons why i love instagram

illustrated with the assistance of some of my favorite instagrammers

1. BEAUTY THROUGH OTHERS' EYES
i am a very visual person
although i love words and their power to paint an image of someone's everyday life
i thoroughly enjoy seeing it manifested in a photo
i love gazing upon a scene and seeing it composed through the eyes of someone else
i continue to be in awe of how others can capture such beauty simply through a camera phone

only eating red, white and blue food today.

@rinserepeatblog

"Our strengthened family cultures will be a protection for our children...embedded in their peer cultures, the entertainment and celebrity cultures, the credit and entitlement cultures, and the Internet and media cultures to which they are constantly exposed. Strong family cultures will help our children live in the world and not become "of the world". -L. Tom Perry

@erobyn

at the dreamiest 6 year old birthday party ever!!!

@natalie4hudson

Guessing he won't let me snuggle him while he naps forever. So, I'm getting it in now.

@larkandbloom

2. DIY INSPIRATION
most bloggers and photographers have an instagram account
bringing their creative genius and vision straight to your fingertips
better than pinterest, you can connect directly to the source of the projects and images
creating more of a lasting connection
and allowing you to see more of what you love from these originators of your favorite pins

3. DEMYSTIFIES AND NORMALIZES LIVES

to me this is the biggest draw to instagram

there is a demystifying element in instagram through seeing a blogger or a friend in light of their daily activities

you soon realize that although their life may appear very pretty, its also is filled with some messy bits as well

the nature of instagram normalizes the lives of these sometimes seemingly flawless personas

they emerge as normal and human just like you and me

innumerable items get left in cars, kids get stinky, motherhood is hard, and sometimes we just cry and pray that we can keep moving forward

there is a refreshing vulnerability that is often captured in an instagram feed

So those of you that comment about how tidy I am...... let me dispel the myth and feast your eyes on this!!!#stuffifoundinmycar

@kristinrogers

she proceeds to list everything in her car

some of favorite items: 2 flippers, 1 owl mask, 1 pilgrim, 1 xylophone stick, and 47 crayons

read the entire list here

Real life is messy. Don't be deceived. Diapered babies escape bumbos. Kids throw their clothes everywhere. 2 days of 100 degree vbs makes stinky children, but their laughter is happy. Our hearts are busy but full regardless of the mountains of discipline. Praying Jesus would breathe a fresh wind into me today.

@leslieautumn

Thankful: though it is exhausting & draining, I am so grateful she is finally feeling the freedom and security to let it all out with me. We'll just cry together ;)

@underthesycamore

A number of people have made these sorts of comments to me lately, "you're so strong", "you're an inspiration" and that sort of thing. It's made me realize that perhaps I have been only showing the good moments. Today was not a good moment. Today I don't feel strong, today I am definitely not an inspiration. Today i could barely lift up my head. Today I am angry and afraid. Today I cry. Today the reality of what this new "unknown mass" might mean really sunk in - this is the turn in prognosis that I have been dreading and praying against ever since we first heard that Bryan has melanoma. This could be the turn that takes him from stage 3 to stage 4, from just watching for a recurrence to terminal. And I don't want it to be, it can't be! Not yet! It's too soon! "please, Lord, please"... I don't want to walk that road! If there is any other way... I cry... And slowly a gentle whisper comes, "I know, child, I know."

@bethstedman

4. REAL LIFE FRIENDSHIPS

then there is the friendships

developing new friendships with others and perpetuating established friendships

yes, you actually can start a real life friendship through instagram
here are few of my friends whom i first met through this fabulous app

@amandarydell

@jessicakesterson

my girls from Minnesota who let me come crash their party

@misslepetitsociety

robyn and i have done 3 giveaways together for her Hong Kong shop Le Petit Society

and has shared news of her wedding and other life changing events with me

@sugargrenade
laura entrusted me with some sewing for her darling autumn
watch her utilize instagram's new video feature to create the most entertaining videos i have seen yet
i confess that i have watched these at least a dozen times and it never gets old
she and her husband take turns pronouncing words and phrases
him in a familiar American way and her with her stellar Scottish accent
'warm worm' has to be my favorite phrase
watch them here and here and here

and of course instagram is perfect for keeping up with friends
far

@amysagedemik

and
near

@zakkelli

5. SEE THE BEAUTY IN MY OWN LIFE

@briana6

through using instagram it has helped me develop a habit of looking for the beauty in my own life

particularly in those seemingly mundane tasks that seem to repeat day after day

i see my own life through a new lens

searching out those images i wish to never forget

felicity's backyard mud makeover, my boys after school bestowal of teeny garden flowers, tate's case of mistaken identity: spicy celery and peanut butter, driving home with owen and seeing a watercolor sunset over the lake

instagram has enlarged my capacity to be grateful for the little things and the little moments

it is my daily journal in pictorial form