Semi-Natural

The older I get, the more comfortable in my own skin I become. My teens and 20's I struggled, but there was something that happened when I became a mom. I created two of the most beautiful people, and that to me made me feel beautiful. I'm approaching 40, years of tennis in the sun show the wear on my face, yet I'm gravitating towards less and less make up. I have a decent head of hair that I embrace just as it is. Stylish, not so much, simple and low maintenance most definitely.
What I have noticed is a disturbing shift in our online (social media) appearances, this is something I have talked about at great deal with my daughter. With instagram filters, and apps like face tune, people are actually taking away their wrinkles, smoothing their skin, whitening their teeth, sometimes to such degree when you do see them in person you hardly recognize the person in front of you. They gather (or perhaps rather look for it) validation and praise on the social media, but shy away from showing the real self. I understand everyone wants to look good, but let's work on continuing to leave some of the real ness in. Don't get me wrong, I love IG filters as much as the next person, however when I run into the grocery store after a good workout (as I often do), I want people to recognize me as that's who I am.  Sometimes sweaty and no make up with fine wrinkles and hair that forms to one giant dread.  Beauty is different for everyone, but for me real beauty usually accompanies a genuine personality as well, and for me that's beautiful.
A couple weeks ago at my yoga studio I was approached going into class if I would mind taking a picture and saying a few words after class. I instantly said yes, but within a minute it dawned on me I was walking into hot yoga (a 75 minute class done in a studio heated to 110 degrees), what I wanted to do upon that realization was turn around and ask if I could do it another class, but decided I needed to meditate on it the next 75 minutes. Throughout the class I thought of my excuses, hoped I could sneak out "forgetting", but by the time we got to shavasana, I had decided to suck it up. This is who I am, I have no problem heading to Safeway after hot yoga why should I avoid FB looking the way I do after doing something so good. This was an exercise in being placed right in front of me. I decided to embrace it and embrace myself.
So this is the photo that appeared on Facebook.

Cheers to being the closest thing to the real you, you can be!

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