The View From The Selfie Stick

I am currently in Washington, D.C., one of my favorite places on the planet. My heart explodes with joy and gratitude and uncontrollable, uncontainable excitement each time I arrive in this city. It also grieves me every time I have leave, but that’s a conversation for another day. Needless to say, I am grateful for all of the above.

Whenever you’re in a new city or on an adventure of some sort, selfies are a must! I am a friend of selfies and I am embracing this selfie movement---if that’s a thing. But I’d like to invite you into something deeper than just a photo of yourself that you post online. I want to invite you into the me conversation, the selfie conversation, into a new view: the reflective view. When we press that reverse icon on our phones the lens changes directions. The current picture goes from the view ahead to the reflective view. When you press that button, what do you see?

Who is that beauty? Or that stud? It’s you!!! Definitely an amazing human!

Let’s press deeper. Who is that person? Are they bold? Timid? Kind? Grumpy? What do you love about them? What are they working to get better at? Are you proud of that person? These are all questions I’m asking myself, followed by an onslaught of others. This is what I’ve found in this reflective view: I’m desperately looking to live a full, yet streamlined life (kind of an oxymoron, I know). I long to live a life that is fueled by intentionality, justice, and service. A life that gives generously, fights hard, and rests well. I don’t see the blemishes but rather the unfiltered beauty of the moment.

While switching to the reflective view is the first step, we all know that positioning and the right filter is key to any good selfie.

Positioning

“In matters of style, swim with the current; in matters of principle, stand like a rock.”
- Thomas Jefferson

Know where you stand. What are your non-negotiables? We don’t have to have a big, long list, but what are those few principles that transcend all else? Make those a constant. Give everything else grace.

Filters

We control our filter. Choose to filter through joy (much easier said than done, believe me, I know). Broken hearts and broken spirits lead to muddy filters. If your filter has been dirtied, find your tribe, let them in, let them love you back to life and back to seeing through a clear filter.

Now about me:

I have found myself in this real struggle to “face myself”. In recent weeks, I’ve been grappling with the reflective view. It sometimes feels unbearable and it is quite uncomfortable. It’s in those moments of discomfort when I look for something, anything, to busy myself with. At first I give into my desire to hide from the reflective view that requires me to dig deep. But then I reach out. I reach for the tribe and they embrace me and my unfiltered mess. They gently address the mess, “Carrie, what are you running from? Let’s talk,” they say. And if I’m not quite ready, they patiently wait.

So here I am, facing myself, choosing to switch to the reflective view. I’m earnestly looking for answers to the questions I’m asking. I breathe deeply to calm my heart and uncomfortably embrace the moment.

Thank you for reading!

See you next Tuesday!