It’s a bodyheart thing

I had the rare opportunity to participate in the bodyheart program last month during it’s one-day stop in NYC.  As is so typical of me, I scheduled my shoot smack-dab in the middle of a jam-packed day full of meetings that even more conveniently followed a late-night arrival home from a weekend trip to Chicago. Whew! Just writing that exhausted me (a good reminder to slow down … )!

But I showed up, mostly because I believe so strongly in the cause. And, because like most women, my own verbal abuse to my body has been off the charts lately. I needed to nip it in the bud.

I had no idea what to expect as I climbed the four flights of dark, creaky stairs up to the shoot location in Midtown but once I entered the room, the energy of the women there transformed me just as I was met with a flood of bright Fall sunlight lighting the space.

I’m anything but natural in front of the camera so my next goal — after just making it there — was to relax, take in the energy of the room and remind myself of why I was there.

When I saw a couple of proofs a few weeks later, my first instinct was to pick my image apart. Why did my hair look flat, my arms not toned, my boobs pointy … and on and on. I decided that the best option was to walk away until I felt capable of looking at the photos differently. Maybe that would be next week or maybe next year but I would get there.

On Monday I received an email that the full reel of photos was available for viewing. This time, when I saw them on the screen in front of me, a sense of acceptance rushed over me. I simply had no judgments anymore. This, was naturally me.