Honesty

I love the Shutter Sisters photography website.  A group of photographers take turns posting a photograph with a insightful description and then invite viewers to post comments along with links to their own photographs.  Thus photographers from all over the world can explore a theme and see each other's work.  The site also offers annual projects.  One of these is the "One Word Project" -- exploring the meaning of a single word all year long through photography.

I love the concept of "one word."  It gives one a chance to mull over a word with all its meanings and nuances.  In 2012, without really meaning to, I realized I'd begun to explore the word "honesty."  It kept coming up in books and blogs that I read.  It kept popping into my head.  At first I didn't like the idea.  It nagged at me.  Why?  I've always felt that I am an honest person.  If you ask me to hold your purse or diary while you're gone, I'm never going to look in it.  If someone gives me the wrong change, I'm going to bring it to their attention even if it means I lose money.  I pride myself in taking responsibility for my actions and telling others the truth.

It was reading Frank Bruni's Born Round, that got me to thinking more about my honesty to myself.  Bruni lost a lot of weight, keeping it off even after becoming the food critic for the New York Times.  He stated, "The main difference between then and now wasn't determination.  It was honesty.  I didn't lie to myself the way I had in the past.  I especially didn't lie to myself about food."  (pg. 347)   After reading the book, I wrote a post about it here:  http://persistentelephant.blogspot.com/2011/11/born-round.html.  I realize now, it was a new chapter for me.

More to come...