It's called "Midwestern modesty" and I've got a wicked case of it.

I was talking to my neighbor/hairdresser the other day, and she slapped me on the arm and said, "WHY DIDN'T YOU TELL ME YOU'RE GOING TO HAWAII OVER CHRISTMAS?"

I took a split second to think about it, and I finally said it out loud: "Because I don't want to make people feel bad."

There it is - I feel guilty. I don't feel like I deserve a trip to Hawaii, and I don't want others to feel bad. 

Midwestern modesty is a real thing - "the people of the American Midwest are proud of their humility." When people compliment our house, we're always quick to tell them that we got it for a sweet deal. When we tell people that we're going to Hawaii, we also mention how we're "doing it on a budget" with Airbnb.

Of course, I get jealous of my friends when they're on vacation and posting pictures on Instagram. Envy is a natural human emotion.But I also find it in myself to be happy for them, and hope that they could be happy for me when I post my pictures, too.

Most of us don't go out and do fun things to make others feel bad; it's kind of like the old "Just because you're on a diet, doesn't mean I can't have a donut." But I still feel bad about telling people that I'm going on vacation.

So, a fair warning - we're going to Hawaii for Christmas. We're not doing it to make you feel bad; we're going because Pat's mom died this year and he doesn't want to be around for the holidays. Feel free to unfollow us on social media for ten days.

I think Midwestern modesty can be a GOOD thing...to a point. What are YOU modest about?

 

 

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