I’m just going to be honest.

Sometimes I feel like it’s easier to be real, open and authentic online than it is in person.

I can bare my soul, talk about my weight issues, my marriage issues, show the inside of my van for the whole world to see. At least the whole world on the other end of the pale light of the computer screen.

And here’s a huge confession:

Sometimes I feel like YOU all know me better than my real-life friends do.

[before all of you real-life friends get your feelings hurt, if you are reading this at all, you count in the "YOU" too.] It’s not like I require people who know me in real life to frequent my blog, but let’s just be real here: I don’t hold much back here on this little corner of web real estate.

This is nitty-gritty, scared, bloated, hurt, frustrated, weepy me.

Sure I get feedback: that comes in the form of emails, comments and the occasional twitter @ reply. But it’s far different than the kind of feedback I would get if I shared the same information/story/truth standing flip-flop to flip-flop with a friend while our kids are swimming at the pool in July. If I walked up to a group of moms at the park and told them some of my stories (the ones I tell to you every day) I might get some “hmphs” and another mother might grab her two year old by the hand and with a worried look hurry her to the car.

So here, in the blog/twitter world we start with a context. We get past the how-many-kids-do-you-have questions and go straight for the throat: grace, failure, forgiveness…

It might take me months or years knowing someone strictly in face-to-face real life to cut through the awkward red tape that we cut through daily here on the blog world.

With that said, there is something magical about sharing the same oxygen with someone you’ve met here and then get to meet for real.

Meet Cindy. There was not any first-meeting red tape. We’d cut all that a long time ago via blog comments and phone calls.  There was just sisterhood and friendship.

Meeting Cindy from Sarah Markley on Vimeo.

This is why I can be instant friends with someone I’ve met for the first time.

What do you think? Do you agree? Why is it easier to be more real/open online than in person?

click HERE to visit my site and watch the video

A lot of bloggers/tweeters have been posting photos or videos of themselves sans makeup, waking up in the morning or with oreos in their teeth. It’s part of POTSC’s Real Me campaign.  I’m like, “Yeah, like I’m going to do that.”

And I actually was going to.

But, oh, this is good…

I thought I’d go one step further.

I’m showing you the inside of my van.  [gasp].

And I’m going to take a video right now before I chicken out or clean up.

That’s worse than me without makeup, I promise.

As of right now imma gonna tell you what I have in there: two leftover cupcakes from yesterday’s class party, an unused carseat, an empty juice box, Hope’s riding chaps, lip gloss, my purse, a coat, a scarf, some crocs for the kids, tons of books,and so many other things.

So. Many. Other. Things.

So that’s it. You have me, without the clean up I do before someone rides in my car, before the clean up I do before I drive to the car wash. You have the van that I live in most of the day in all it’s goldfishy-glory.

The real me. Without airbrush, without a dustbuster.

In the spirit of authenticity and genuineness, here I am.

The REAL Me from Sarah Markley on Vimeo.

What do you “clean up” for others?

If you’ve done a “real me” photo, leave the link in your comment. I’d love to see it!

One more thing, if you subscribe on a reader or get this through email, click over to the blog to view the video or click here to watch straight from Vimeo