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Hey—it’s Clay.

We live in a world obsessed with clarity and polish:
The perfect photo.
The flawless presentation.
The filtered, edited version of reality.

And for a long time, I chased that too.

Not because life actually feels that neat and clean—but because I thought that’s how it was supposed to look.

Turns out, the most meaningful moments aren’t crystal clear. They’re a little messy. Sometimes blurry. Always imperfect.

🔥 Here’s what I mean. Let’s dive in.

Life’s Not in 4K

Once a month, I grab coffee with my friend Phil. We usually end up at this fancy hipster shop down the road. We’re not fancy or hipsters, but Dunkin’ five minutes away sounds like a high school cafeteria, so we’ll take quiet hipsters writing their screenplays any day.

This month, as our conversation wound down (aka: Phil’s wife called to ask if he was ever coming home), he pulled out some pictures he was proud of. His son had taken them with an old Polaroid instant camera.

By the way, have you seen the cost of Polaroid film lately? Outrageous. But he bought some anyway, and his son got after it.

The photos were grainy. A little blurry. The colors were off. They looked like they’d been shot in the 70s instead of three days earlier.

And somehow… they felt more real. More true to life.

We live in a world where polished photos hit us every day—curated feeds, flawless lighting, people who look like they woke up in an ad campaign. We’ve seen so many of those images that sometimes we forget they’re staged. We convince ourselves that’s what life is supposed to look like. That it’s more real than a crooked Polaroid snapped by a kid who couldn’t care less about filters.

But life doesn’t show up that way.
It’s rarely in focus. It’s messy around the edges. Sometimes the colors don’t quite line up.

And that’s okay. In fact, it’s what makes it beautiful.

Because the moments we’ll remember most, the ones that actually shape us, don’t come edited in high definition. They come raw. Imperfect. Honest.

Family dinners where everyone’s talking over each other.
A conversation that went sideways but needed to happen.
A walk with a friend that wasn’t planned but mattered anyway.
The doctor visit that changed your priorities.
Your buddy’s cancer diagnosis.
The late-night heart-to-heart when you finally admitted you were struggling.

None of it’s in high definition.

But it’s real. And that’s better.

So if your life doesn’t look like those perfect feeds, remember this: those feeds aren’t real either. They’re staged, cropped, and filtered until the mess is hidden. Don’t trade your honest life for someone else’s highlight reel. The grainy Polaroids are closer to the truth.

The blur, the noise, the imperfection… that’s where life actually lives.

Becoming a Legendary Father: Lessons from Larry Hagner

If you haven’t had a chance to listen yet, I recently got to sit down with Larry Hagner from The Dad Edge. Larry’s been shaping this space for a long time, and honestly, his work has been influencing Campfire Gentleman since before it had a name.

I’ve been following his podcast and message for over seven years, so having this conversation was a real full-circle moment. You can watch or listen to it here.

And while you’re at it, keep an eye out for his upcoming book, The Pursuit of Legendary Fatherhood. It’s a powerful, practical guide to leading well at home, and it’s worth ordering.

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_{These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.}

Disclosure: Some links may be affiliate links. That means I may earn a commission if you purchase, at no extra cost to you. I only recommend brands I use or trust.

Until next time—
keep the fires burning.
– Clay

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