Yesterday, I stood in the drug store waiting for a prescription to be filled. While I waited I walked down the magazine/books aisle and noticed that our First Lady was on the cover of Vogue. Although I have no idea for certain, I can guess that this shot was airbrushed. If nothing else, Mrs. Obama's face appears to have no pores--often a sign of "Photo-shop-magic."
Since I had 10 minutes to kill I glanced at all the other major fashion magazine covers and there wasn't one person on any of them who looked real to me. Old news, I know. Yet, when gathered together along a long pharmacy row, it gives a powerful "ouch" to the self-esteem if one is inclined to look and compare.
And "look / compare" is something many of us do all too often.
A few weeks ago, Tom cut out a comic strip for me...see it for yourself here. In it you see a standard grocery store check-out line with a cashier scanning a purchase and across from this line, a "self-checkout." The twist? This second line provides only a mirror.
Our grand-kids stayed with us after Easter and a close friend came by to see them. The grand-kids shared photos they had of some of our mutual friends. The first words upon viewing one picture, said in front of our grand-kids were, "Wow, [he's] lost weight!" REALLY??!! How I wish that thought had remained just that: an unspoken thought.
Ok, so my ramblings appear to be proclaiming that I've recently "had enough." So...I've decided to be proactive in helping myself decompress and rejuvenate by taking a three-week hiatus from the media, technology, et al. I will post again on May 3rd (with a valuable guest-post by another Gürze blogger sometime between now and then). I trust that I will return with a refreshed and more positive outlook. Plus I'll have many adventures to share about my time in "un-plugged" land! Please take care in the interim and know that I send my blessings until next time!
[Originally posted on the Gürze Books Eating Disorders Blogs]
