Looking back

“If you can love someone

with your whole heart,

even one person,

then there's salvation in life.

Even if you can't

get together with that person.”

― Haruki Murakami, 1Q84









This is one of my fav authors,

but when I read this, I realized

that sometimes this is how life is.

Have you ever met someone and

thought "Oh yeah, I love this person",

even though you know in your heart

that you could never be together?

I've had that once.

Sometimes I get reflective on things like that.

A sign of growing older ... lots of reflecting.

Backyard Breeze

There is nothing in all the world 

more beautiful or significant of the laws of the universe 

than the nude human body. 

-Robert Henri

In the Pink

“Pink is a beautiful color, 

because it is one of the colors 

that the sun makes at twilight and in the dawns.” 

― C. JoyBell C.

Both twilight and dawn

are my fav times of day.

Between dawn and twilight

is a lot of time usually filled

with work, chores, duties

to be fulfilled. 

But at dawn when I walk with Sadie,

the world is just waking up.

There is a peaceful harmony,

a promise of a new day.

And twilight, the day's end,

a time for reflecting on the day:

Did I do my best?

Do I have regrets how I spent my time?

People are less intense, 

more peaceful, at dawn and twilight.

Black and Whilte

Experiment #207,591,003

I'm attempting a look I have in

my mind, and not quite achieving it - yet!

Sure, I could probably manipulate it

with some photoshopping technique

but isn't it the ultimate goal of a

photographer to be able to make

beautiful photos without

digital enhancements?

Framed

“A photograph 

shouldn't be just a picture, 

it should be a philosophy.” 

― Amit Kalantri

With so much 'life' going on,
i move as if on auto-pilot.
there were ideas for today's
photo shoot.  upon arriving
home after a long day at work,
those thoughts flew out the window.


a picture paints a thousand words...
and yet i can't come up with that many.
can you?

Run Free

“Maybe some women 

aren't meant to be tamed. 

Maybe they just need 

to run free 

until they find someone 

just as wild to run with them.

-Carrie Bradshaw” 

Body

just a few pix

shot in sepia

and even tho

i was feeling

'fat' today

.... i still post!

I looked up "feeling fat"

and found a doc who says

"Fat is not a feeling.

Technically, one cannot

feel fat any more than

one can feel yellow."
     (-Dr. Stacey Nye)

The cure?

Dress with care,

exercise,

and eat right,

and those feelings

should pass.

Went to the gym,

had salad for dinner

then undressed..... does that count?  *giggles*

Adorable

“Thin people are beautiful 

but fat people are adorable!”
- Jackie Gleason
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Wishes

Our deepest wishes are whispers of our authentic selves. 

We must learn to respect them. 

We must learn to listen. 

- Sarah Ban Breathnach.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Acceptance

Body acceptance is not shallow or selfish.  

It is self care and self love.  

Never let anyone stop you from loving yourself.

Beauty

“To all the girls that think you're fat 

because you're not a size zero,

 you're the beautiful one, 

its society who's ugly.” 

― Marilyn Monroe.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Know Yourself

One of the most courageous things you can do 

is identify yourself, 

know who you are, 

what you believe in 

and where you want to go. 

- Sheila Murray Bethel.

 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Q&A's

Have you ever done something because you wanted to please another person?  Of course you have, we all have.  Sometimes even doing something that goes against the grain of who we are -- because we all want to be loved and accepted just the way we are.  And that's where I was a year ago.  I had stumbled on another blog that was anonymously nude and I was inspired!  I'd been doing self portraits like these off and on for a few years, and shared them only with friends and acquaintances.  My best friend thought it was a grand idea - and helped me come up with a few themes.  I hope the fun I've had with them shows through.

But sometimes I have doubts about it.  Do it?  or Not?  It takes an effort to be creative and do more than just snap pictures of a chubby naked body.  Another friend, upon learning what I've been doing, told me I'm too young to be alone, and what kind of man will want you when he finds out you're doing this?  Well!!  Hopefully a very special kind of man who understands me and accepts me for who I am.  But that got me wondering:  would you allow your gf or wife post pix such as this??? Would you support her if its what she wanted to do?










With posts for a little over a year now, and nearly 10,000 hits -- I want to say a great big thank you to those of you who check in here and look at my posts.

And more thank you's to the ones who leave comments. 
Your attention means a lot to me. 

Sincerely,
~Gal

Real Curves

Real women have curves, wrinkles, and flaws.
Each one earned with experience, perseverance and determination.
There's no computer to airbrush your mistakes.
Let them make you who you are.
Love every mark, every scar, every extra curve you wished to go away,
Accept what you can't learn to love,
Then let go of what you can't accept.
Treasure them for their memories
Like a worn love letter or ratty old quilt from generations of old.
Each wrinkle comes with the wisdom only years of life can give.
And life is not to be hidden or covered up.
For life is how a girl grows into a woman
And real women have curves.

~~~~~~~~~~

This is Woman

“This is what a woman is: 

unadorned, 

after children 

and work 

and age, 

and experience-

these are the marks of living.”

~Zadie Smith

Beautiful Ass

“I saw this beautiful girl the other day.
She had an ass behind her
that seemed to go on for days.
In fact, I'm still talking about her.”
 ~ Jarod Kintz

 "If someone tells you 

you're not beautiful,

turn around and walk away 

so they can have 

a great view 

of your fabulous ass." 

~Miley Cyrus