I’m
about to get a little personal with y’all.
Sometimes,
I can be self-conscious about the way I look … especially when it comes to my
weight. I know I’m well in my forties,
and I am at peace with the fact that my high metabolism days have been long
gone. I also realize that it’s kinda
hard to lose weight because I love to eat and hate to exercise. But there are times when I look at myself in
the mirror and wonder, “Who in the hell is THAT?!?!?” Full face.
Chubby cheeks. Belly rolls. Dimples in places they have no business
being.
My
self-consciousness gets especially high when it’s time to take pictures. I either avoid taking pictures all together
or I spend way too much time trying to manipulate my surroundings so I can
capture the best possible angle of myself.
I cringe when Facebook friends tag me in photos in fear that an
unflattering photo of me will be posted.
I
have wanted my family to take portraits for a couple years now, but I
have not scheduled any photography sessions for us because I was concerned
about how I would look in the photos. I
don’t want to immortalize all my thickness on canvas for the world to see …
forever.
And
ever.
Recently,
I saw, fell in love with, and bought t-shirts for my family, and I thought it
would be cute to take some informal photos of us in the shirts. In my excitement over these t-shirts, I
called the photographer and set up the session.
When I hung up the phone, my first thought was, “Ummm, so how do I lose
50 pounds in the next week?”
We
had the session about a week later. We
met our photographer at a local park and had a really fun time taking our
pictures.
A
couple days later, we got our proofs back … and I couldn’t have been more
pleased with what I saw. When I saw my
family’s pictures, what struck me was how happy we looked. We were smiling, having fun, and enjoying
each other’s company. I saw two
beautiful kids with beautiful brown faces being kissed by the sunlight. I marveled at how big my son has gotten. He’s taller than me now, and it won’t be much
longer before he’s taller than my husband.
I chuckle because my husband and I took a picture together. We’ve been together and/or married for 24
years, and you can see we still like each other in the pictures (lol).
All
the love I saw in the pictures made the body image issues I have go away.
Moral
of the story and lesson for me is capture the
moment. I hope my kids will treasure
these photos when they are older. I
already do.
Photos by Soul Sistah Photography (Durham, NC)
T-Shirts by Bee N Creative Designs (www.beencreativedesigns.com)
