elements of self: shadow

after reading shakti mama's shadow post, i was inspired to look for textures in my own shadow on our hike to the river. it was a lot of fun waiting for the sun to peek through the canopy above and offer a glimpse of my silhouetted self. my shadow and i played a fun game of hide and seek in the forest this day.
this served for me as a gentle reminder of our interconnectedness to all that is. the love that unites each and every thing in the universe. a lovely children's book, all i see is part of me, comes to mind.
this was a much more light hearted challenge for me than the other elements of self posts i have done. shadows are so forgiving that way.

i had my hair in poofball pigtails on this day!

i do realize this is a self portrait series, but seeing as how this one is about shadows....it does seem appropriate that i include my two smallest shadow friends.

elements of self: the eyes

the next in the series of self portrait challenges from the ever inspiring shakti mama is the eyes. i was surprised at how much i struggled with this one. true, i never really loved my eyes as a child. i thought brown too common a color to be beautiful. as with most things in life (in my teen years at least), i wanted something more unique, something that stood out and got attention.
i have since accepted my brown eyes for what they are. i am actually fond of the color of my eyes which i honestly didn't capture here very well. no, now it is the age all around my eyes that i struggled with during this photo shoot. my eyes have always been the first to show signs of distress in my physical and emotional health. lack of sleep, a night of crying, not eating well, and so much more shows up in the space around my eyes like a glaring neon light.
like my mother, i have these great luggage compartments under my eyes that i am still trying to come to terms with. i believe that they could improve as my health improves, but have yet to see those rewards. also like my mother, i have severe allergies which have reeked havoc on my eyes and those great bags below. i have been working to try and master those issues so that they stop controlling my life (yes, they are that bad).

here is a funny angle taken in the car. you can see the scar on my face.

what i love about the eyes is being able to truly see one's soul. getting a deeper glimpse into who they are and how they might be feeling in that moment. words can complicate things and get in the way of true meaning. the eyes speak clearly and simply. i appreciate and honor when someone takes the time to connect with me in conversation by looking me in the eye. i know that they are interested in me and my thoughts, not just spitting out their dialogue to anyone who might be listening.

my children were fascinated by mommy taking pictures of her eyes and wanted to play along, too. ;) the space around their eyes always gives away how they are feeling, too.
to see my previous elements of the self portraits, click here and here. all seem to have highlighted my eyes thus far.