43/52

How do you see yourself?  How well can you see yourself without some tool of reflection?  You can look down and see most of yourself, but to see all of you, you need a mirror, or some reflective surface.

About 4 years ago, when Zoey was about 9 months old, I took this picture of her looking at me in the reflection of the minivan.   I'm sure that if she had been looking at herself, she might think, "Wow, my ears really stick out" or "Ugh. My legs are really not as long as I thought they were" since the convexness (this isn't a word, but it should be) of the side of minivan would make anything in the center look larger than the top or the bottom.

It was awesome to go to the bean at 9:00 before there were too many other people around. 

Last weekend at the bean, I also took this picture.  That's me in the red jacket with the camera.  But if I was using the bean to see the buildings behind me - and using it as the "True North," I would be way off.  You can see that the building to your far left is curved quite dramatically, and if I didn't know better, I might really consider the possibility of the building being designed with a remarkable curvature.

I cannot tell you the number of selfies I delete from my phone because I think, "Do I really look like that?  Please tell me it's the angle of the phone... or SOMEthing!"  And there is truth to that.  Depending on the angle of the camera, you can make something look smaller or larger depending on the distance from the lens to the subject.  So you have to pose yourself carefully to get a flattering shot. Ugh. It's. So. Much. Work.  LOL

I think because we see so much inside ourselves and are overly critical, we see ALL the flaws in a photo of ourselves, and most of the time, none of the beauty.

But choose that reflective surface carefully, or otherwise you could get a distorted view of yourself. Like a fun house mirror or your side view mirror on your car, the object can appear differently than what they really are.  Okay, we have to talk about that side view mirror warning that is printed on every side view mirror I've ever seen: Objects in the mirror are closer than they appear.  This baffles me.  Why would that be the case in a mirror that you would check before you might be changing lanes?  Wouldn't you want it to be the reverse?  That the car appears closer than it really is, so maybe then people wouldn't cut each other off - thinking possibly that they had plenty of room to squeeze in!?

Okay, back to the distorted views.  Don't let one semi-warped mirror be your sole reflective surface.  I'm thinking back to a dance studio that had installed (sort of cheap) mirrors on a wall that was not level or flat.  Depending on where you stood in front of the mirror, you were either really thin or really not.  And as I mentioned before, I know that the buildings in Chicago are not curved, because I know better, I've seen them with my own eyes.  Much like our friends and family might disagree with our interpretation of our reflection because they see us with their own eyes. 

Over the weekend, after Brian washed his motorcycle, this puddle appeared in our driveway.  The reflection of the sky, clouds and treetops were crystal clear. 

The view in the puddle was just as beautiful as the sky itself.

Having Making time to reflect is important.  It's best to do this when you are calm, when you're out of the line of fire, and depending on the type of person you are - with quiet - kind of like meditation.  Get to know yourself a little better.  Trust what you see if the reflection feels right to you.  I think it takes practice to do well.  I'm getting some practice in this week as I sit on a beach (possibly with a fruity drink in my hand).  I'll let you know how I do.  :)