I love old train stations

Gawler Railway Station, South Australia

Face value

Have you ever wondered why I post so many pictures of myself on this blog?

The short answer is self-healing... but I'm not exactly renown for short answers, so here's the long one...

After being ashamed of myself for way too long, this is a cathartic approach to restoring my self esteem. I absolutely HATED having my photo taken after I gained weight a decade ago. They were far from flattering and to be perfectly frank - I appeared fat and terribly ugly.

During our trip around the world five years ago, I mastered the art of self portraiture - thanks to my husband who is a superstar at it. Over time, I cultivated a relationship between me and the lens and have consequently captured what I refer to as 'the essence of my spirit'.

While this may sound a bit new age and purple crushed-velvety, this is something I have been known for in the portraiture of others. I have often been praised for my photography of people and (wait for it) capturing the essence of their spirit. I have been told on more than one occasion "Oh my God Grace, you can make ugly people look beautiful" (seriously).

The truth is, I don't make people look beautiful... I see people as beautiful.

Through self-portraiture I have been able to see and acknowledge my own beauty despite how other people see me in their photographs. This has been hard and, let's face it, WEIRD. But it has been a necessary step in embracing myself and restoring my self esteem and confidence.

My self portraits are primarily a reminder that I am worthy (I should also add that they are also practical as I'm always in my own company and don't need to seek my permission). Someone with fledgling self esteem, such as your's truly, needs to be reminded of this regularly (the bit about being worthy, not about self portraiture being practical).

The act of me taking a self portrait that I deem worthy and, dare I say, beautiful enough to post on the world wide web is an enormous breakthrough for me. This is what I call 'face value' and for that, I make no apologies. While it may appear narcissistic, I can assure you that it is therapeutic.

Until tomorrow, make no apologies for improving your self worth - whatever it takes.

Grace xx

If you a. love me, b. love my blog, c. love this post or d. all of the above - please SHARE

Still stuck

So Monday's come around, and I'm still lost for words.

I found an old picture of me hugging a tree that I hoped might inspire some philosophical brilliance.

The photo quality was crap so I thought working on it would buy me time to conjure up some masterful words of wisdom.

I spent an hour playing with painting effects in an attempt to create an 'artistic' look.

Verdict?

Still crap.

You know what they say, "you can't make a silk purse out of a sow's ear" - or as Pat says, "you can't polish a turd" - both of which are right.

So here I am stuck. Without words, an unpolishable turd of a photo and a commitment to write daily till November the 3rd. What to do, what to do.

Perhaps if it stops raining tomorrow, I just might go outside to hug a tree and see if that'll help transform the sticking point in me.

What do you do to become unstuck?

Until tomorrow, um... errr... hmmm...

Grace xx

ps. Saturday Quiz No.1 winner will be announced next Saturday.

Saturday Quiz No.1

As I'm still in the process of filling my well with enough words to string a reasonable sentence together, I've invented a quiz for this Saturday.

I'm not sure if I'll do one every Saturday but we'll start with this, see the response and take it from there.

To the right you will see a photo of me circa 1997. Admittedly I went to town with Photoshop, but it's for a good cause.

I've recreated one of my favourite quizzes of all time and I wanted to share it with you, but I couldn't just give it away. It's so much more fun to guess.

So without further ado...

What am I wearing?

Write your answer in the comments section below.

Until Monday, have a fabulous Sunday.

Grace xx

PS. Click photo to enlarge for closer inspection.

PPS. Click here to find out the winning answer (at the bottom of post)

Bali Reflections

I love this photo.

It was taken in Bali last October while Patrick and I were cruising the island on a scooter. So much fun.

This photo reminds me of life, only I am soooooo tired after a massive day that I simply cannot conjure up words to do it any justice.

So I'm asking you to contribute... what does it symbolise to you? I'd love to hear your thoughts, ideas, feelings and so on.

Until tomorrow, remember that it's okay to ask others to assist when you're feeling tired.

Grace xx

PS. Made a video of my Power Smoothie this morning. Click here if you'd like to see what I look like when I get out of bed - fuzzy head!

Snowed under

Have you noticed my blogs have been getting longer...?

I have.

While I've enjoyed this new platform of self expressionism, it's starting to tip the scales to the point of imbalance. One could say, I'm beginning to get snowed under.

So how do I re-balance my life whilst still honouring my commitment to Project Grace 2010?

Simple.

I post a stunning photo with the intention to inspire you.

So in keeping with today's theme, here's a photo of me trekking in Sagarmatha* National Park, Nepal, in 2006. It was the day after we'd been literally snowed under.

After two weeks of trekking, we reached Gorak Shep (approximately 5,200m / 17,000ft altitude) just as a snow storm hit. After a restless night's sleep, we were advised to abort our plans and follow a 'yak train' down to safety, for there was no telling how long we might be stuck there.

With only a short two-hour trek to our target (Base Camp) we had a mental battle of 'should we stay or should we go'. We decided to heed local advice and retreat.

We were consoled to learn that Gorak Shep was in fact Edmond Hilary's original base camp when he first summited Everest, and our premature trek back to Lukla was rewarded with stunning vistas. What was once dry, dusty, barren terrain (we were above the tree line) turned into a magical white wonderland which, as the photo will attest, was absolutely stunning.

So without further ado, I shall bid you adieu.

Until tomorrow,

Grace xx

* Sagarmatha is what the Nepalese people call Mt. Everest; it means 'Goddess of the sky'.