Boston Girl on the Verge

Vermont Weekend

2012-01-20T12:50:00.000-05:00

A couple of weeks ago, one of my best friends had her baby a little early while visiting family in Vermont.

This weekend, I brought up a bunch of her baby stuff from her Boston home to her, and got to visit with the babe a little too! She is about a month early, but doing really well even though she is teeny. Just under 4 lbs, they were limiting who was able to hold her, but I did get some time to talk to her, and take a few shots.

My friend is wary of sharing baby photos online, so I promised there would be no exposes. I have a few good ones for her eyes only, but that hospital lighting was hard to work with!

Here's what I was up to last weekend:

The weather on the way down was sunny and chilly.

But the combination of the sun and snow was hard to resist.

Selfie #1

2012-01-06T09:13:00.000-05:00

So I've made a deal with myself to do a self-portrait each week in 2012. 52 selfies in 52 weeks.

Self-portraits are so revealing. They show how we feel about ourselves, how we really look. I have many times said that I don't like I how I look in pictures, but the truth is, I just haven't liked how I look in life. This is a journey in self-discovery and acceptance for me. I hope you think about doing your own project. Already with my first I realized how hard this is going to be, at least at the beginning.

I took this one on the way to work this morning, sitting in traffic. Not really wanting to look into the camera.

But, I am accepting, and therefore sending this 1st Self-Portrait out into the void.

Have you ever taken a self-portrait? What was your experience?

Words for the Year

2012-01-04T20:01:00.000-05:00

I have three words this year. Yes, I know. I'm supposed to be choosing just one. But, that's not how I roll. Have you heard about the "one word" movement? It's similar to choosing your resolutions, but essentially encourages you to choose just one word to focus on for the next year. It's a touchpoint, a cairn on the path to follow each day of the year. As a starting point, I've been working on my hopes. I know that nothing will change until I do, so I know that it is time.

I don't have any specific goals about losing weight, paying off debt, or exercise. I am opting for a kinder, gentler type of resolution. I am not beating myself up this year.

Instead, I'm setting out some guidelines:

And from those guidelines, I found 3 words that I really want to remember every day. They are posted in several places in my house. The bedroom, the kitchen and on the wall near my front door.

I can't miss them. And so far, they are working.

What are you working on for this year?

I like your Red Coat

2012-01-01T10:29:00.001-05:00

The little girl poked her head out of her window in a three-family house on New Years Day. It was cold out, and you could see her springy black curls tied with ribbon bouncing as she looked up and down the street.

"I like your red coat." she called out happily to a woman on the street. "Thank you." said the stranger. "Happy New Year." said the girl.

Then she found her next victim. A man in a striped scarf. "I like your scarf." she yelled, smiling. The man looked up, and said "Happy New Year." "You too." she said.

This went on for several minutes with random people on the street below her. I like your coat. I like your scarf. I like your hat. I like your dog. She was a little elf. Innocent and with no inhibitions about talking to strangers. Just wanted to share some of her joy that day with whoever happened to pass by.

Such a small gift to give someone on this New Year's Day. But, she smiled each time, and took a gift away with her too. She had made someone else smile on the first day of the year.

I will remember her unselfish gift, and her lilting voice calling out into the cold. Happy New Year to you. And, I like your coat.