why it's really about you

continuing on with the celebration. yay.

today, my plan was to write a post about how all the things i do fit together. i mean, really? reiki + photography + shiva nata + postcards + .. they all fit together? really?

i started to write about how they're all related to light and shadow, beauty, seeing something through a new perspective .. oh, i suppose it would've made a fine post. but as it turns out, that's not really what i want to talk about.

there's sort of a reason behind most of the things i do and write and show, and i've never really talked about it. it's not something that i think a lot about or plan or am deeply conscious of. it's more like a guiding principle. a thread that ties everything together. and it is very important to me.

see, i believe that you are special. beautiful. amazing. extraordinary. even (especially) when you don't believe it yourself. i absolutely believe this to be true.

at the same time, i have trouble believing that this is true of me. (i've come a long way in the past two years .. i certainly don't hate myself anymore .. but there is still a long way to go.) since we are never really as alone as we think we are, i suspect that i am not the only one who has trouble believing that this is true.

on the face of things, i share photos and write because i like to share and write, and i do the things i do because i am passionate about them. but i think it is worth mentioning that the point of everything - even if i never say so - is to show you that you are enough. just as you are, you are enough. and that in your enough-ness, you are extraordinary.

in my extraordinary ordinary card set, i said that the photos remind me that in the blink of an eye, the ordinary can become extraordinary - and indeed, that it always was. i believe that to be true of all of us.

Comments

[Ann Bimberg]

well said. and thanks.

[Tracy]

Thank you, Elizabeth... many, many thanks for all that you do for yourself and for all of us... We're all in this together! ;o) ((HUGS))

[kath]

I love that you do this. Celebrate Joy!
xo

[Larisa]

I feel all warm and fuzzy now. :) Thanks!

[Lisart 2000]

Yay! Thanks for being the first commentor on my blog:) I had a darn hard time trying to add you to the blogroll until I figured out I was using the old site on wordpress:( NOW you are on!

Looking forward to visiting in person soon:) L

[Wayfaring Wanderer]

"is to show you that you are enough. just as you are, you are enough. and that in your enough-ness, you are extraordinary."

WOW! I absolutely love that.

It's a wonderful thing to take a look back at where you were and really recognize how far you have come. I'm going through some similar changes currently that are giving me a run for my money, but in a good way. We can be our worst critics sometimes, which is why a support system is essential. Blogging is a great outlet, too. I'm slowly getting back to it, finally :D

It sounds like you are in a happy place, though. I'm glad :D

[elizabeth @ retinal perspectives]

@WW: yay! you're blogging again! i've missed you there. sending you love as you go through your changes.

@lisa: i loved it! so glad to see you begin. and i will see you so very soon!

@larisa: yay. that makes me happy.

@kath: it is my word for the year. ;)

@tracy: we are all in this together. i love that.

@ann: thank you. and you are most welcome. xoxo

[Suvarna]

wow, thank you so much!
It is baffling to me to think that we cannot see ourselves (yes, me too) as enough or special, because I think that relationships are reflections of ourselves. So if I see you as beautiful amazing extraordinary, shouldn't I be able to see myself that way?
Thank you for this.
xo

[rachel awes]

i so totally agree.
much love to
ordinary
extraordinary
YOU.
xo

[steph]

"at the same time, i have trouble believing that this is true of me. (i've come a long way in the past two years .. i certainly don't hate myself anymore .. but there is still a long way to go.) since we are never really as alone as we think we are, i suspect that i am not the only one who has trouble believing that this is true."

Ah, no, you are not alone. :) How is it that I can see it so clearly about others, and can sometimes (coming on towards often, even) see it so clearly about myself, and other times, I'm walking around with blinders on or my eyes closed or something?

In any case, thank you for doing what you do, for being who you are, and for sharing your light with me (the world).

[Lori]

So now when I get in one of my "I'm not special" moods, I can think "Gee -- Even ELIZABETH used to feel like that. There's hope!"

Your specialness shines in every interaction you have --

Love you!

[michelle marlahan]

that's so beautiful, elizabeth. thank you. really.

[jaime]

Elizabeth, you are such a beautiful person.
You really are.