This is me on a day I am finally feeling “more like me” again. Since the first surgery on 12/29, I have mostly been looking washed out, dull-eyed and tired. Today I’m feeling better. Sitting and standing up straight.

Authentic me gets out in the yard, dresses super casual, smiles and only wears lipstick to keep my lips from being too dry. Authentic me doesn’t mind having gray roots until I have time to get my hair done and has started thinking about how I’d look with gray hair. Authentic me no longer picks apart how I look in photos, double chin and all. I think being sick has enabled me to notice when my inner beauty is shining through, and that’s what makes me happy more than looking “put together.” That’s what counts.

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Prompt 20 - Rest

Reading has been one of my treasured resting places since I was a small child. I relaxed as I looked through the Scholastic Books flyers, circling the books I hoped my parents would purchase for me. I kept a book (or two) and a flashlight hidden between my bed and the wall, and that book would be my refuge during the long nights when I couldn’t sleep because my parents were arguing.

Even my textbooks in high school and college were sources of rest, in that I could immerse myself in learning and leave all other thoughts behind.

I find rest in reading fiction (nothing scary or violent), magazines and uplifting information on blogs and Instagram. I seek out ideas on social media, book clubs and friends’ recommendations for new books to add to my TBR list – another relaxing activity.

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Prompt 21 Black and White

Changing an outdoor photo to black and white is one way to imagine what a cold winter could look like here in Florida – where the grass and trees are green year-round!

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Showing my inner nerd, but I really enjoy crossing things off a list

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To take lots more pictures of the things. That didn’t seem “important” enough to photograph

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