Every day I log into social media, whether it be Twitter, Facebook or Instagram, I see so many people with such perfect lives. They have the perfect family, they have the perfect job, they live in the perfect house, and they have the perfect kids. If you read every story they post on Facebook, the pictures they post on Instagram, or the tweets they post on Twitter, you want to sit behind your computer and get insanely jealous. You want to sit there and wish you had their life. But what you don't seem to realize, like so many others just like you, is that your perfect life on Facebook is just that. It exists. On Facebook.

But rarely does it exist in real life.

And I'd like to take a moment to tell you a story. This here is a true story. It is a story that I experienced first hand. It involves someone that I had known for almost 40 years of my life. And mind you, if you paid close attention, you'll notice the words "I had known" because it's just that. Shortly after the disclosure from this person that I had known for nearly 40 years of my life, he either got scared off, afraid that his disclosure might be made public, or he realized that he'd shared things that nobody in the world knew, and he ran away with his tail between his legs. Not that I'd have repeated his story. But it just goes to show that your perfect life on Facebook is just that. In real life? It doesn't exist.

I won't divulge the full name of the person that this story is involving, but I will tell you this - His name is Jeff. He is nearly 50 years old. I grew up with him. I went to high school with him. I knew him as well as anyone could know him. Even though I'd lost touch with him for almost 25 years, I was able to reconnect with him on social media. Jeff, if you are out there reading? This is the story of your perfect life on Facebook.

Because as you told me, in real life, it simply doesn't exist.

Jeff and I grew up together. We hung out together. We went to school together. We did life stuff together. We graduated high school together. Then we lost touch with each other. He went to college and I went away to do the life thing. We had lost touch so much that we didn't even know whether the other was still alive, until this wonderful thing called Facebook was created. For years, I'd read his story on Facebook; I'd read about his life, I'd seen pictures of his wife and kids, I'd set pictures of his vacations in Vegas and the condos he'd stay in, and I continued to read about his perfect life. But it wasn't his real life, it was his life on Facebook.

Because as you told me, in real life, it simply doesn't exist.

I found it kind of sad, kind of ironic, kind of funny, and kind of pathetic. One night Jeff messaged me on Facebook. He told me that his perfect life on social media was all a lie. And I'll tell you something, that isn't really a secret; I already knew it. His life looked too perfect. U of M football games every weekend. Hockey games every weekend during the season. Basketball games. The perfect job. A big fat salary. And what most people didn't seem to see, as I did, was every picture that was posted always had a drink in it; he was always carrying around a drink. The perfect family life. With the exception of a story I'm sure most of you don't realize he was hiding: Alcoholism, suicidal thoughts, and the idea of hating his life but hiding his life.

Now I'm not here to call people out, insult them, criticize them, or mistreat them. I don't do that. That's why I'm classy enough to not post his last name, because that wouldn't be fair. Did Jeff tell me this story in confidence? Nope. He never asked me to not tell anyone, but what he did tell me was that his life was a lie. He hated his marriage, he couldn't stand his kids on most days, and he really wanted to just end it all. He just didn't want to live anymore.

What about your perfect life on Facebook?

Two days after he gave me all of this information and opened the door to all of his dirty laundry, I found it quite shocking that he deleted me off Facebook. And how did I know this? I saw that I'd lost a friend. I didn't even know who. And I really didn't care. I actually went to message him out of concern, because I've lost friends to suicide. I've lost friends to alcoholism. I saw a lot of people struggle with it growing up, and I was somewhat confused as I could not find Jeff on my friends list. I could not message him. I had to take the steps of having a friend find him on Facebook through her account. True enough, he was there. Just not accessible through my own account. So I asked her. And when she informed me that he'd obviously removed me and blocked me, I had no reason to know why. I could not explain it. So I asked her if she'd message him for me, which she did.

And much to my shock and confusion, two days later, she told me he'd removed the message, viewed it, read it, and blocked her too.

So, Jeff, this is not a post about retribution. It is not out of anger. It is not about calling you out, or sharing with the world your dirty laundry; it is just telling a story about your perfect life on Facebook, and letting people know that didn't already know, that it is just that: A perfect life on Facebook. Because in real life, it simply doesn't exist.

I read Facebook every single day because I am on it every single day, but much different than many people. I will post openly, share if I'm having a bad day, rant and rave if something happens that disgusts me, and I will speak freely. If someone wants to delete me, so be it. Because unlike many people that fake it on social media, I don't have a perfect life on Facebook. My life is as real as it gets.

So when you are reading a friend's Facebook, a neighbor's Facebook, a co-worker's Facebook, or even your own, ask yourself a question. Do you want to be known as a fake to everyone around you because you post about your perfect life on Facebook?

This post goes out to the people named Jeff in the world. And to the people with the name Joe, Mike, Jack, Julie, or thousands of other names. Your perfect life on Facebook exists. You can make it as pretty as you'd like. But in real life?

It's all a lie. And everyone (including me) knows it.