Ever wondered how us bloggers make up amazing stories? You all think our lives are as perfect and calm as the perfectly color-balanced photos we share online. We seem to be the most organized, have-it-all-together kind of people who have 1, 2, 3 how-to hacks up our sleeves.

But what really goes on behind the scenes. You will be amused to find out. The following story is about one such time where the person looking in wouldn’t have guessed what really went down. It is also a very enlightening way to realize how each of us make inferences based on our personal observation of the world.

The following story is based on real life. The characters in this story are real, and hence, any resemblance to any character in real life is purely intentional and intended.

This is a typical picture I would post on my blog.

What does this photo make you think of? This photo seems so calm and soothing right? But before you make assumptions being the Person Looking In, let me take you behind the scenes.

It was the last night of Ramzan back in 2018 and we were traveling for Eid the next day. The whole house was a mess due to my frantic last minute packing. The visa and the ticket had come in the same day before Iftar.

“Mehreen, stay calm. Come on, let’s go out for a quick walk. It will help you relax.”

I popped my head out of a heap of clothes and contemplated on the offer. I did need to relax, you know. I was a whiz at packing, but I needed an appropriate time for that. Tonight was crazy. I just had two, three hours to pack.

Husband reached for his walking shoes and put them on. Before I could look up, he started shouting frantically.

I hate to sound like a bad wife but it was sort of funny. I never saw him pull out a prank like this but this was crazy. I snickered. It was a couple of seconds till I realized that he wasn’t being funny after all. I rushed to him.

It turned out there was a wasp 🐝 sitting snugly inside his shoe. When Husband attempted to disturb its cozy little home, it stung him right on the toe, the soft and squishy part. Ouch! Which brings me to our first lesson…

Lesson 1: When husband throws a fit, do not laugh (!)
What I saw: Farhan playing an act on me
What really happened: WASP!!! Yikes!!!

WHAT TO DO WHAT TO DO WHAT TO DO SHIT SHIT SHIT SHIT OMG!!!

My mind raced at full speed to think of anything, anything at all about what to do about wasp stings.

I remembered that old and often repeated joke of the family where my cousin got stung with a wasp on a picnic and how my aunt tried rubbing steel on the wound to stop it from spreading. The joke was when my aunt used a knife for that because that was the only thing available at that time. My cousin’s brother watched with horror as he saw his mother “cut opening” his sister with a knife.

“Ammi ki bachi!!! Meri behn ko zibah karti hain kya!!!??”

And with that he snatched the knife from her hands and threw it far away, much to the dismay of my aunt who was, after all, not killing her daughter but saving her.

Lesson 2: The second lesson would be, trust your mother with a knife. She’s not going to cut you after all!
What my cousin saw: Mom murdering his sister.
What really happened: Mom trying to fix the sting however she could.

And so, following suit, I reached out to a knife. That was the only thing that was instantly available for rubbing.

Few seconds later, anyone who would be looking in through the window would see a very frightening sight: a husband shouting and running throughout the house and a wife running after him with a knife 🔪🔪🔪 (❗️)

He was running and jumping in pain while I ran after him.

“Ruko to! Ruko to! Abhi theek karti hun!!” But he kept running faster now!

No, I couldn’t catch him.

He was either in pain from the sting or scared from a wife running after him with a knife, asking him to slow down, abhi dekhti hun!

Lesson 3: The next lesson is, trust your wife with a knife. She also knows what she’s doing, or at least, figuring out!
What Husband (probably) saw: Wife with a knife, run for your life!
What really happened: (Let’s just leave this blank here, LOL!)

Poor guy. I don’t blame him.

We eventually called some friends and they took him to a GP who gave some medicines for relief.

So while he slept from the drowsiness in those medicines, his foot up in the air, and me exhausted from all the running and shouting and last minute packing, I managed the energy to take this picture which oozes calm and balance and serenity, quite opposite to what had just happened an hour ago.

So friends, now you see, our lives aren’t as perfect as they seem on Facebook and our blogs. It’s actually quite funnier! Just like yours.

Do not let our photos fool you. We do not have have it all together, and we also don’t have things figured out on the tips of our fingers. Our photos are like yours when you subtract all the filters and the lighting. We are ordinary people with a knack of presentation and words. And we love to make you laugh with our fumbles.

This whole anecdote was to give you an example of how different people perceive things differently. The Person Looking In cannot always understand what’s going on. I do not know what it’s like to be you because I haven’t been in your shoes.

Lesson 4: Being considerate and knowing we don’t know!
What the Person Looking In saw: their own perception!
What really happened: Something entirely different.

And now, the last lesson…

Lesson: A picture is worth a thousand words.
What you saw: Perfection, balance, serenity.
What really happened: Life! :)

Buzzzzz! 🐝🐝🐝🐝