The Last Three Days of My Souls Selfie Challenge

My Souls Selfie Challenge just finished up. A week of prompts with the intention of sparking a little more thought about what we are and think and feel. It was a little less scary for me this time because I knew the people joining me wanted me to do this again. And I’m always glad to oblige people when they want to do soul-work.

When you add many people’s energies and soul thoughts into a collective pot, you certainly have a meatier stew to chew. Read and see the first three posts here. Here are Thursday/Nostalgia, Friday/Trust, Saturday/Weight-wait, and Sunday’s/Night posts. If you are on Instagram, you only need to tap the hashtag #Soul_Selfie and you can see the whole page of marvelous posts devoted to introspection and self-love.

 

?Day 4 ? #Nostalgia ? #Soul_selfie challenge? As a Mom, I don’t dwell in nostalgia. Remembering my children’s life moments doesn’t choke me up too much. Because I know I was there. When i’m behind the camera, I’m plugged in to our now. . . I am a “Be Here Now” kinda gal and when I see a picture, I remember being happy and present then and don’t feel sad to have left the moment behind. I know lots of parents who go right for the parenting regret mode. These lovely little ones are of me but not mine. I am always letting go. . . Perhaps it’s the promise of other joys to come that has me looking to the future and not back at the past. I aspire to create many moments to remember fondly. And to never regret my choices is to be confident that I’m creating a past that I’m proud of and need not rethink. I may be slightly full of shite here but mostly i’m truthful. . Joining @rae_ritchie_ today for her #ExperienceOctober2016 challenge with this prompt. And will merge again with her the day after tomorrow for her Night prompt. #taleswithfriends #Soul_selfie #challenge #FionaMariePeach #EamonSpencerPeach #siblings #kidsofInstagram

A photo posted by Shalagh Hogan (@shalaghhogan) on Oct 13, 2016 at 4:11am PDT

 

?Day 5 ? Trust ? #Soul_selfie ?For me, trust has to start with self-trust. Having spent years making decisions that weren’t in my self-interest, I’ve recultivated a trust relationship with me, the girl who’d given up on me, who knew I’d let her down and had stopped trying to believe. I had to prove I was trustworthy one action at a time and reform that lost bond with me. . . Healing my mistrust of others, the isolation and suspicion in being alone, that is also self-created when I’ve kept my vulnerability to myself. If I put on a false face to gain other people’s acceptance, how can anyone be trusted when they like the inauthentic me I keep giving them ? Playing a game of I make you like me keeps us from trusting yet we are worth the company and trust we crave! . I trust myself now. It was little steps of kept self-promises, peeks of the real me to strangers on IG, and I came to see that I was reliable and pretty cool. And for these efforts, my anxieties have decreased immensely as I am the real me telling the truth to myself and checking for my happiness all the time now. #challenge #taleswithfriends ##trust #liveauthentically #writer #selftrust

A photo posted by Shalagh Hogan (@shalaghhogan) on Oct 14, 2016 at 4:21am PDT

 

?DAY 6 ?WEIGHT/WAIT? #Soul_selfie ? At 50, my clothing is two sizes larger than In my twenties, Yes, the fluctuations in my weight are natural, a chronical of a woman’s life. Bit it’s been a torturous road to finally know this, . . When I get mad at myself for being old and human, I can be mean about my body image. I can call myself defective, fat, less than. I go to blows with the ideal American Barbie doll ideal. But my daughter will hear every whisper, So I hope I speak of being healthy in front of her, not deformity. . . I am not a number. I am the beautiful reflection of my thoughts and values. Most days, my worth lies in the quality of my character. In the wit and charm I have earned from my life. . . I fought to lose weight this year.The first time in a long time I’d tried. These last 10 pounda are stubborn. They are my fears manifested. The visual layers of ” I’m afraid I can’t ” added on, obessed upon until they look real. . . So i declare this next time I choose again to try to lose these last 10 pounds, I’ll pick a starting date and make a food plan, hedge my bets. It’s not personal, it’s science. Hoping that being a kind but determined parent to myself will be the final factor that brings me back to the me I want to be. A me that is not defective, just in need of a tune up. #taleswithfriends #weight #challenge #liveauthentic #truth #bodyimage #selfimage #vulnerability #women #collage #Papercrafting

A photo posted by Shalagh Hogan (@shalaghhogan) on Oct 15, 2016 at 4:45am PDT

 

? Day 7 ? #Night ? #Soul_selfie ? The night is regenerative restorative magic. Quiet, crickets, contemplative. It is the space and time to discover what I am, what I think. . . It is the next phase of life, the inner keeping of my soul. The stop, redirect, purposeful action of being 50. It’s a book read and understood. It’s a journal page filled with quandary. Night is the quiet contemplation of what’s to come and the relinquishment of what will never be. . If only I didn’t pass out so quickly, exhaustion of the motherhood that recreated me, night might not be a forgetten friend. Head bobbing for sleep, clinging to the quiet private gold time. Ah the memories of glory days passed pubbing and laughing. But for tonight, I am all the possibilities of just being me now! . . This last day I rejoin @rae_ritchie_ and her #ExperienceOctober2016 challenge crew for the prompt of Night. Tag your posts with both hashtags and see who’s joined in. . As Carol Burnett sang in my childhood, “I’m So glad we’ve had this time together just to have a laugh and sing a song.” My thanks to everyone who participated and encouraged me and others to dig a little deeper and take a look at what’s there. We are real people with real needs, concerns, and joys. I always want to hear what makes you you. “So long.” #soul_selfie #taleswithfriends #moon #selfdiscovery #liveauthentic #challenge

A photo posted by Shalagh Hogan (@shalaghhogan) on Oct 16, 2016 at 4:27am PDT

So ends my second Soul Selfie Instagram photo challenge. I’m left feeling full and happy with the connections we’ve made, the inner work that we put ourselves to. We’ve nudged and budged, listened and inspired eachother as a community is apt to do and I am certain we’ll do it again. Word is, I’m thinking about February. So perhaps February, May, and October are all good months to clear out our inner cobwebs, own our stuff, and move along.

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And, as always, Thanks to you for your visit.

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