“You have brains in your head. You have feet in your shoes. You can steer yourself any direction you choose. You're on your own. And you know what you know. And YOU are the one who'll decide where to go...”
― Dr. Seuss, Oh, the Places You'll Go!
This was my least favorite theme so far and it was really difficult. Every picture I took was the wrong angle, my "bad side" (which seemed to be any side I took the picture from!), too close, too far away, showed too many blemishes...you get the picture! I even tried to recruit Richie to take a picture of me and he declined and said that would be cheating. Thanks for nothing Richie! :-P
On the positive side, because Richie would not help me, I learned how to use the self-timer function on my camera! Yay me! So although my self-portrait was not creative, my photography knowledge, however limited it may be, has increased just a bit.
Brainstorming about self-portrait ideas really made me think about how I see myself. A lot has happened in my 32 years of existence - some worth remembering, some worth forgetting and some that made me say, "What the hell was wrong with me?!" Mom used to say, "I hope your children are just like you!" I now understand what she meant and the thought of having to raise children that were anything like I was while growing up makes me shudder! Although I was more than a handful over the years (and unfortunately still have relapses from time to time), I am very proud of who I have become. Moving to North Carolina was a very scary decision, but ended up being one of the best decisions I ever made. There were many nights when my family would call to check up on me and as I was hanging up, I thought, "Who's idea was this?!" It was really tough to be on my own in the beginning, but being by myself was an amazing experience. For the first time ever, I got my life together. I paid bills on my own, had my own apartment, took care of Buster (I still miss him) and made a positive name for myself in the community as a kindergarten teacher. Then I met Richie and my life became even more complete. Richie made me a better person. He encouraged me, was supportive of me and made me a calmer person. I was and continue to be a very happy girl! I love my life and I appreciate how far I have come. I am an inspiring teacher, a grateful daughter, a loyal sister, and a loving wife. I am proud to be me!
“Be who you are and say what you feel, because those who mind don't matter, and those who matter don't mind.”
― Dr. Seuss
