Reflections (Self Portrait Wednesday)

I thank Misty Mawn
for prodding us all to capture
self-portraits on a regular basis.

It's a challenging assignment on so many levels -
how to accomplish it technically,
how to manage issues of body image and self-consciousness,
not wanting to open yourself up too much to others,
wanting to cast yourself in the best light.




I've come to love the "reflected self" self-portraits
because they offer a handy dandy way to deal with those issues.
Besides, the reflected images have an enigmatic quality
and my corporeal self has an air of lightness,
at least that's what I think.

The truth of it is, however,
that every moment of our lives
we're creating a self-portrait.

how we use our time

the choices we make when no option is ideal

whether we celebrate or shun our gifts

if we demonstrate kindness and compassion consistently

whether we're open to new experience or sadly shut down

the trail our words leave behind us

the images we choose to capture and share in our blogs

whether we're really present or absent from our own lives



These things all show others
our fullness of self
in a way a millisecond click of the shutter
can never accomplish.