Beautiful Structures, Crumbling Interiors

 

As I drove around to clear my head and soak in the cool weather and beaming sun, I passed rows of beautiful homes with magnificent curb appeal. The kind of homes that make you slow down just a little. I admired the structures. The details. The symmetry. The care that clearly went into how everything appeared.

Not from a place of envy.
But from a place of appreciation for the beauty of it all.

After passing the last home on that strip, my mind shifted.

I began thinking about how homes are carefully built. How they provide a frame that often hides what’s really going on inside. How walls can be freshly painted, lawns perfectly trimmed, windows spotless, while inside, everything is quietly falling apart.

And then I thought about people.

How people build beautiful structures, too.

Lives that look impressive. Personalities that appear confident. Images that seem whole, polished, and put together. Structures that draw admiration from the outside.

Until someone wants out.

Because when someone wants out, the door doesn’t open quietly.

It flies open.

And suddenly, those on the outside, looking in, realize that although incredible detail went into the exterior, the interior is not what it was sold as.

There is a lot of pretending.
A lot of posturing.
A lot of performing.

There are people who were never truly accepted. Never chosen. Never seen. People who spent their formative years rejected from inner circles, starving for validation they never received.

So they build lives designed to prove something.

Not to themselves.
But to everyone else.

Everything about their structure is meant to say: Look at me now.
Look how successful I am.
Look how generous I am.
Look how good-hearted I am.
Look how important I am.

But they miss the mark.

Because the real build was never meant to be external.

It was always supposed to be internal.

As pretty as things appear on the outside, the inside always reveals itself once pressure is applied.

When life hits.
When conflict arises.
When control starts slipping.

That’s when you see the cracks.

The constant need for validation.
The obsession with appearing superior.
The performative kindness.
The bragging about what they do for others.
The quiet resentment toward people who live honestly.
The jealousy toward women who have less but move with peace.
The need to tear down anyone walking in their truth.

These are all signs that if you turn the knob to the perfectly built home they’ve erected, you’ll see it isn’t so perfect after all.

You’ll see the narcissism.
You’ll see the manipulation.
You’ll see how everyone under that roof is slowly being affected.

Until the point of no return.

Yes, people will continue to build beautiful facades.
They will continue to draw others in.
They will continue to make people feel small while living inside a lie.

But you do not have to desire a facade.

You do not have to model your life after illusion.

Live in your truth.
Live within your means.
Build at your pace.
Heal at your depth.

Let others do what they think it takes.

Only authenticity lasts.

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If this reflection stirred something in you, I invite you to go deeper.

I’ve created a February Journal Prompt Calendar to support self-love, relationship clarity, self-acceptance, and preparation for the season of renewal ahead.

You can download this month’s prompts on my website and begin exploring the conversations your soul has been waiting to have with you, https://payhip.com/b/hMHxJ

Your healing deserves intention.

Your growth deserves structure.

Your story deserves your authorship.