I am not anti-"selfie."

Read: I do not condemn the practice of taking pictures of oneself and sharing them on social media, with friends, etc.

I am well-aware we live in a world in which social media has significant influence--with negative pictures, negative articles, negative statuses, and negative tweets, it is not difficult to see the ways that the lives of human beings and social media are enmeshed with one another.

Which is why I do not oppose "selfies."

Gosh, I hate that word. It sounds like we're talking to small children in a baby voice: "You're just da cutest wittle selfie dere ever was, yes you are!" ....ugh. Makes me wanna hurl.

I understand that many people (particularly women) are annoyed and confused as to why other people (women in particular) post photos of themselves to social media for all to see, like, comment, etc. Indeed, at the surface level, it seems like a pretty egotistical and self-centered thing to do. And maybe that's part of what drives such posts, but allow me to give my two cents here. (Hey, you brought it upon yourself by clicking the link. ;) )

I was having a conversation with one of my best friends the other day about these "selfies" and absorbed her sentiments about the practice as she told me, "I hate selfies in general." My response was as follows: "I honestly don't have a problem with 'selfies.' In a world where women are constantly told they're not good enough for X reason, the fact that women can still feel confident enough to post a picture of themselves even when they don't fit society's standard of pretty just to say, 'Dang. I feel good about myself today and I want the world to know it,' is pretty remarkable. That's got self-empowerment written all over it, so I'm a supporter. *stops rant and steps off soapbox*" Luckily, my best friend is also a feminist (and a patient best friend), so she could understand my frustrations at society and didn't mind that I took that particular opportunity to word vomit all over her about my general feelings on the topic. [[Love you, Kaiti. Thanks for dealing with me and always helping me learn!]]

So, I've thought a lot about this conversation and about the shame women (as well as men) undergo--usually behind their backs--for posting pictures of themselves, and I've decided that, whether you do or don't fit society's norms of what it means to be beautiful, handsome, etc., that if you're having a good day and wanna tell people about it, then by golly, you do it! Take a daggum picture of yourself, if you want to, to show the world your #ootd (outfit of the day) or that you're proud of the job you did with your makeup, or that you're having fun with your significant other, or that you're having a good hair day, or WHATEVER. 

The world needs more positive vibes and less negative ones, especially in the body image department of any and all genders. So, I encourage us--not to hop on the social media self portrait train if that ain't your thing--but to think about the ways that being positive about self image and going public with said positivity could potentially help others embrace their outer and inner beauty as well. 

I say let's build each other up, not break each other down, and be vocal with one another whether we like someone's dress, makeup, suit, bowtie, and, more importantly...let's be vocal with one another when we are touched by the sweet, kind, and supportive spirits of those around us who help us navigate this crazy world in which we live. 

Positivity. Pass it on, my friends. It can take over the world if we let it!

It was just one of those days...

The house was too small.
The amount of snow was too big.
There was too much to do.
There was not enough time.
I needed to read.
I wanted to sleep.
I wanted to go.
I had to stay.

You know when you're younger, and snow is the weather-equivalent of your best friend? You stayed home with your people friends and had no worries because your parents took care of all the potential cares--food, transportation, entertainment. You name it, they had it covered (Since I know you're one of the two people that reads this on the reg., thanks, Mum. You're the best!). It was ideal. It was grand. It was a stay-cation of sorts that you crossed your fingers for on a regular basis every December thru February.

When you get older, things tend to get a tad un-romanticized in the winter department.

Mad props to those of you who love winter, the cold, and the snow, but for those of us with various forms of seasonal depression, the snow...and being stuck inside...with nothing but artificial light for a sorry excuse for Vitamin D can sometimes be overwhelming.

I've gotten pretty good at keeping a good face throughout these Ohio winters and usually choose to internalize my feelings about the cold and gray rather than blurt it all over for everyone to hear.

Today, was no different. I internalized alright. To the point that I pretended I was invisible. I didn't speak, I hid most of the day confined to one of the four rooms in our apartment and legitimately pretended I wasn't here.

It was a very isolating experience, and for those of you who either are or are close with an extrovert or two, you know isolation is not ideal for us. We usually like and want to be around people and feel the need to verbalize our thoughts to process whatever twelve topics happen to be fluttering around in our brains at the time.

So, you can probably imagine where I was mentally and spiritually today. Pretty down, pretty alone (internally...poor Bo was concerned most of the day as to why I wasn't speaking. The things that man has to deal with...).

It's ironic that today is the day I chose to dwell in solitude as Bo will preach about Jesus' temptation in the desert tomorrow morning (Matthew 4:1-11). I spent the day going through a lot of emotions: sadness, loneliness, and temptation (to perhaps scream at being trapped inside and in my introverted world) to name a few. 

I also thought a lot about the kinds of feelings Jesus must have felt being all alone in the desert. I felt alone today, and I was in a warm house with a happy husband and food to eat.

Jesus didn't have any of that while in the desert. A lot of people go through the winter (as well as the rest of the year) without things like I could have been blessed by today--a warm place to be, family, and food--had I taken the time to acknowledge them and be thankful. My blessings were right there, all around me, and I didn't take the time to appreciate them. Even if I couldn't take the time to appreciate them, the least I could have done was thank God that they were there and pray for those who don't have such essential and crucial needs met in their lives.

Weird how "one of those days" can teach you so much about yourself in retrospect. Lots to learn, lots of room to grow. Here's to keeping the #Lentenrevelations comin'.