This is me on Day 20 of the 30 day challenge. This is me after completing a double class back to back with my friend Melanie. Pictures are a reminder of what we look like, but a picture doesn’t tell others how we feel. As I look back through the pictures of my life I see various times in my life when the picture seems to say one thing, but my true emotion was hidden. The beauty of writing a memoir and using your pictures to guide you is that you can use it as a tool to bring you back to that place and time. Some pictures are painful for me to look at because I was going through a painful time in my life. Some pictures are so wonderful to ponder over and remember the memories.
Pictures of your childhood can sometimes be painful to reflect upon if you had an unhappy childhood. Sometimes seeing those you have loved that have passed on can also bring up the tears.
As you look through the photos of the movement of your life be gentle with yourself. What do you see? What do you remember? A memoir written with the perspective of wisdom from passing through your experiences topped off with pictures of the event is wonderful. As I look at the movement of my life I can see that the woman I am today is not the woman I was 3 years ago or even 3 months ago. I am forever changing and becoming more clear on who I am. Even this picture of me taken almost 10 days ago and the picture I will take tomorrow (the end of my 30 day challenge) will look different. I am different each day as I choose to grow and be.
Today in your journal I would ask that you really “see” yourself. Who are you today? Who were you a year ago? Are you changing and growing? If not, examine why not. Take out those pictures and write about not just the event, but how you felt about the event.
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