So, This Is What I Look Like

A reader suggested I include a picture of me on the blog and I’m not so sure about that. It’s not that I don’t like how I look, I think I look just fine, but a strange thing happens when I get in front of a camera…

like a ghost becomes invisible or a con-man gets nervous, I look awkward in pictures. It’s as if the camera can see past my skin, into my subconscious, where there is a shy, awkward girl, who I know is a part of me, but I don’t know why she has to take over all the other parts of me when I’m getting my picture taken.

I asked Noel to help. She is the camera’s friend. She can’t take a bad picture. If she just woke up after a bad night’s sleep while having the flu, she would smile sweetly at the camera and look amazing. A while back, I asked her how she did it. She said when she saw the camera, she focused on whatever emotion she was feeling. Hmmm, that is interesting. When I see the camera, I think, “oh, no, a #$%$#% camera, this picture will certainly look bad.”

I’ve been trying Noel’s approach, but I think this must be a learned skill, like Buddhist mindfulness, because I haven’t seen immediate results. One thing that helps more quickly is having Noel take the pictures. She is good behind the camera, too. Out of many, many attempts, she got a picture that I think looks all right.

So, “Thank You!” to Noel for taking my blog picture. She amazes me every day.