10.21.20

I have a love-hate relationship with social media. The creative side of me sees it as a form of self-expression and self-celebration. I'm all for romanticizing life (to a healthy extent) and highlighting the moments and memories that warm the heart. But I've always struggled with comparing myself to others, and of course, social media can be torture for those of us who do. Even those who aren't already prone to comparison are sort of forced to on social media. I question my own participation, sometimes. It feels like a degradation of sincerity, not to mention self-esteem.

Recently, this summer, I found some caterpillars on one of my plants and decided to try and help them grow. I read all about them, including what can go wrong, and learned about a common bacterial disease that often kills them before they can form their chrysalis. Essentially, the bacteria invades their insides, and the more food they consume, thinking they are nourishing their little caterpillar bodies, the more the bacteria destroys them, eventually killing them if the caterpillar keeps consuming.

There's a metaphor somewhere here.