What about my flaws? | “Everything is so beautiful when you stop looking for flaws.”
For so many people, having their photograph taken is a very vulnerable experience. When they are standing in front of the camera they feel self conscious, uneasy, unsure what to do, and worried about how the final images will look.
The thing about photos is that we will always find what we’re looking for. If we are looking for signs of our age, the first thing we will notice is wrinkles and loose skin. When we are preoccupied with our body shape and size, the first thing we will notice is how our clothes fit and the shape of our body. If we are struggling with the age and stage of children, we may focus on our perception that they are not sitting, standing or looking the way we would like them to.
What about instead of flaws we looked for something else?
What if instead of looking at photos to find all the things that we need to improve, we looked at photos to find all the things we are grateful for?
It’s easy to get wrapped up in the “busyness” of daily life and to forget what’s important to us and our family. As a mom of 17 years, who has raised her children with and without social media, I can say, without a doubt, that the perfectly curated Pinterest, Instagram, and Facebook pages, have changed how people view themselves and their families and it’s not always in positive ways.
Maybe your child isn’t sitting up straight in the photo because they wanted to curl their body into your lap. Maybe your partner’s eyes are squirting ever so slightly because they are laughing so hard at what your child said to you. Or maybe your child’s serious face is your reminder that they are an observer of the world at this stage of their development.
What about instead of flaws if we looked at our photos and looked for love, joy, connection, the privilege of growing old, perseverance?
