The Clock Is Ticking....... On The American Dream

As I watch my peers on Facebook scramble to settle down, have children (if they don't already have them outside of wedlock), and buy houses, I wonder why the rush.. why the hurry, why the facade? I look into the happily promoted engagement pictures, wedding pictures, pictures of houses, cars etc.... and wonder why the immense pressure to fit into a mold we call the 'American Dream'. A very flawed mold... that can't possibly be intended for everyone. Even some of us that try to fit it have witnessed the toll and deception of it in our very own families, just as I know some of the lies of those on Facebook. I know what goes on behind some of their closed doors, which often is a stark difference between what is exposed to the public The truth of the matter is that we can't have everything operating at a perfect level at all times, and that is completely natural. Some marriages are not happy... and not all childhood's are fun and exciting. Some smiling couples struggle in their homes, deal with loss or sickness. These are the parts the American Dream fails to chronicle.The struggle, the loss, the disappointments, the discrepancies, and the lies. I wonder why it is so difficult for some to expose the truth in their lives, as we know that there is nothing new under the sun.. that every situation has been encountered before.. that we are not the only ones to encounter them. I long for a community that is transparent simply to be a resource for those that suffer in silence. I read an article about a young girl that was trying to encourage and promote black women to be more confident. The girl, 22, battled depression herself, likely from the same source. Recently she committed suicide, and I wondered to myself...If that girl had not felt so alone in her journey, how she may have been able to press through the lonely nights.. the tears. If she would have not felt so overwhelmed by the fear of the future... wondering if her life would indeed improve.. would she been able to continue on. It is my sheer belief in my own life that I am purposed. I don't always agree with it, nor can I rationalize it... but I don't not waiver on that very fact. It is my bread and butter... and what moves me from day to day. I know I am not the only person to walk this path.... and that comforts me. I see no need to pretend to be something that I'm not.. I see no need to clamor to the same failed practices that have hindered the ones before me... I believe in becoming my own American dream which may not be typical.. by defining and decoding truth... in that, I find my solace.