Camera Shy

I was looking through my pictures today, trying to find a topic for a story, and noticed nearly every photo of myself had something odd in common.I never face the camera. I have always been camera shy, but I didn't realize I was this bad. I think my fear stems from growing up with eczema and normally having the skin of an irritated, sad and flaky lobster. Doesn't make for a pretty picture.

But the funny thing is, I haven't had any skin problems for well over a year. So I guess I need to stop turning around as soon as someone says, "Smile!" 

These pictures did make me think of how silly people often are about their appearance. None of us are perfect, and lets face it, we could always look uglier (say with a painting of Dick Cheney mistakenly tattooed to our forehead). So smile and take pride in how unique and beautiful you are, imperfections and all. 

So, inspired by my little pep talk, here's a picture of me from the front. 

Keep smiling.