Cartoon 14: Body Image



The house I am living in has one mirror.  It's in the hallway and we all share it.  I am used to each person having a mirror in their room and than another in the bathroom.  For me, this access to my reflection has meant that I have always had the option of being perfectly put together in the company of others.  I am used to having all the privacy I 'need' to decide exactly where each hair on my head needs to go.  And now, any moment of 'fixing' myself, I have to do in plain view of the folks I live with. I have to face up to all those moments when I half consciously stare at myself, studying what I like and don't like.  I realize that I have spent much of my time watching myself brush my teeth or hair instead of feeling it.  I realize I have totally missed out on the opportunity to live these moments as delicious self care ceremonies!  I've missed out on how wonderful it feels to run a comb through my hair or the taste of a yummy toothpaste and the tickly bubbles on my gums. The sensation of my own hands spreading lotion across the curves of my face, my arms, belly and toes. Wow! What a discovery!
         It's amazing because naturally, my self image is shifting from an outside-in perspective to a feeling based one.  My concept of my own beauty has begun to be based on how I feel.  If I feel strong and healthy, I feel beautiful, regardless of how much meat I have on my bones or what I am wearing. I am now fully convinced that the less and less I look in the mirror, the more beautiful I feel. For real, if it's not already there, I highly recommend reinstalling your mirror in the hallway :)