looking in the mirror | Living Chapters

It’s been a week since I have tried on Aaron’s unique wild card challenge. And I must admit, I have failed miserably at the task. Yes, yes I took the mirror off the boat with the best of intentions and then literally minutes after reading the post, walked into the marina bathroom and immediately caught myself peering back from that conveniently located space above the sink. Ok – Day one – strike one. I started keeping track.

Breaking any routine is hard, I guess, and it will take some time getting use to shifting any part of the involuntary daily bathroom routine. So I started by standing beside the sink to wash my hands and brush my teeth: this could be done, right? That afternoon, I walked into town, and maybe an hour later: Argh strike two! The door to the coffee shop was glass (caught myself… checking out my hair). I went to check my phone messages and Bam! Strike three – caught the reflection on the phone’s screen.

After returning to the boat that evening, I managed to steer clear of gaining anymore strikes hanging out on the deck free and clear, I thought, “this must get easier the more I think about it, and get use to it”. But somehow it didn’t. On Sunday I counted 4 strikes. Monday-6, Tuesday/Wed-5. Thursday back to 3 and Friday-4. Now, some of these strikes were mere accidental sightings (not spending time lingering, admiring or agonizing) but in some instances, I noticed these unconscious yet intentional movements of my body seeking to “check myself out”.

I knew this would be a very difficult challenge, but had no idea it would make me think so much. Why do I need to check myself out so much? Is this an unhealthy obsession with my surface appearance, or is it more a subconscious desire to check in. It’s not like I have ever spent hours in front of a mirror doing my hair or make-up each morning (I actually never even learned how to properly put on make up and I still don’t own a hair dryer) But I am now noticing this magnetic draw to the surface of mirrors… In the car, I’m moving the rear view mirror, and then…there I am – checking myself out. I walk into a public bathroom – argh the entire wall is a mirror! I open my computer lap top ah there I am working hard reflected in the screen. Store windows, windshields, rearview mirrors etc. I am finding myself everywhere calling out to myself to fix my hair, adjust my glasses, smooth my brow. Geez for thinking I am not a very vain person, I am beginning to question this habitual desire to check in with myself and “fix things” or making sure everything is alright.

What is that need or instinct to want to see myself? Why is it so strong? It’s as if I need to know that yes “everything is ok” and my eyes need to spend a second or two reflecting on them selves staring back for some kind of validation or approval? In my case, I do feel like it’s more of an approval from myself rather than caring about others’ opinions – but for others it may be a different motivation.

Honestly though, I didn’t really notice different feelings from within without the mirrors, that is until Monday morning. I was sleepy-eyed, tired and needing to get ready for work. “Did I have sleepys in my eyes?” I sure felt sleepy. Did my eyes look as heavy as they felt? I moved past these feelings, washed my face picked a comfortable sundress to throw on and did my hair by feel and left. Easy peasy… I actually got more compliments on my hair that day than when I had tried intentionally to style my hair in the past.

This has been difficult task to take on because it’s just something we all do without thinking. But it’s definitely worth trying. The attempt alone, has helped me become a bit more aware of these actions and question why I am making them. “Is this out of my need or is it coming from an external influence?” It’s hard to break an ingrained habit that may have been a part of us from a very young age, either built by the design of our environments and/or built by our society. Why have we been told to look right more than feel right? I would bet that this is a habit that every one of us shares to some degree. It may be interesting to trace back where it may have come from. Don’t tell me you don’t check yourself out at least 3 times a day! The question is why? I am going to reflect on that for the rest of this challenge.

Post Script: Thanks to September Wild Card Grace LIchtner for taking the blind mirror photograph of me!

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Theme: Body/Kinesthetics

For those of you who aren’t familiar with the Roles and the Rules for this project, the Wild Card adds one new element to the finished written chapter by playing their one and only card for the month. This “card” is really a suggestion or a new task that will shift or re-energize the chapter. It may add an element of risk or an element of reflection and reverence. The wild card action must be played at the mid way mark of the month and will be taken on by the protagonist. This new element may elevate an activity already written or diversify the challenge by changing the frequency or specifying a detail. The Wild Card cannot eliminate pieces of the written chapter or negate any part of the written chapter. The Wild Card also should also take into consideration the chapter theme and the writers’ already composed directives when making their suggestion.

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I’ve felt a big responsibility being the inaugural Wild Card for Living Chapters. What we players dream up for Beth in this first month will in many ways set the tone and even perhaps a standard for the months to come. Talk about pressure! And then to discover how wonderfully wide-ranging and comprehensive Joe’s Chapter was in provoking Beth to become more aware of her body, what she puts into it, how she employs it, and what it means to live inside it…the bar is set quite high. And I couldn’t be more pleased with how Beth has manifested the challenges presented to her by Joe. I cannot see anything that I can, in a sense, improve upon. So how to add a new action/variable that will up the ante?

I started to think a lot about a particular phrase Joe used that I think Beth could more fully explore: “take heed when the little voices that sing within us creep to the surface.”

So how might Beth hear and heed the little voices singing within her body in a way that builds upon the great work she’s doing with exercise, diet, and muscle memory while still playing into this month’s theme of Body/Kinesthetics?

Here’s the challenge I propose for you Beth, for the rest of the month of June: in order to be more fully attuned to what your body is telling you from within, do not look at yourself in a mirror. Not once.

While you won’t be able to avoid them in public spaces, your challenge will be to resist the temptation to glance at yourself, to see if you “look right.” Not that you are a particularly vain person, but this will force you to only listen to your body to know if you’re looking, and more importantly feeling, right.

Now, I do know you’re recording this project with lots of photos and videos, and I think it’s fine to view them after the fact for posting/blogging purposes. The key is to resist the temptation to look at your image for affirmation in the moment. One exception: if you’re doing exercises and must use a mirror to ensure you’re doing them properly and to avoid possible injury, fine. But in those instances I’d ask that you avoid looking at your face, just observe your body.

Good luck, and keep up the good work!

Beth Reads June Wild Card:

Living Chapters

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Tag Archives: looking in the mirror

surface and subconscious

June: Wild Card