Last month, we started a series to facilitate a mindfulness experiment through photographs. Our first article inspired us to look at our day through the eyes of a child. In part two of our photo-inspired mindfulness experiment, we’ll focus on IMPERFECTION.
This photo was submitted by Courtney Wilson, who describes herself as a “mom of six and photographer by day; aspiring MMA fighter by night.”
In an environment that shows us the best of our friends and families, via their social media feeds, many of us feel inadequate. How do our imperfect real lives compare to the polished personas that we see online? Wilson has made a name for herself by embracing imperfect moments.
“Some days I love my kids and husband more than anything, and some days I just want to hide from everyone with Ben and Jerry. In a world where everyone we know seems to have their act together, I’m the woman who doesn’t. And that’s totally fine by me.”
“I don’t want a million pictures of everyone smiling beautifully or looking all dressed up with nowhere to go. I already know what we look like, and we’re gorgeous. I want pictures of what life is really like, not dressed up versions of what I think it should be. I love impromptu dance parties and this is one of my favorite pictures of some of my children and me. My oldest daughter was refusing to participate in the fun, and as I dragged her onto the kitchen dance floor, one son is climbing on my back while the other picked his butt for everyone to see. Not everyone appreciates pictures of their children showing obvious delight in their naughtiness, but I adore them. Being a mom is hard and my life isn’t always pretty, but it’s always beautiful and worth celebrating.”
Mindfulness Exercise
We’ll inevitably have an imperfect moment today. Of course, most of our moments aren’t Instagram-worthy. Observe imperfection with a sense of whimsy. Laugh out loud, or take a page out of Courtney’s book and capture a photograph.
If you’d like to submit your own mindful moment photo, follow us at Capsure and post your submission to Instagram with #CapsureIt.