Sometimes, I read an interesting article.

Carrie at ED-Bites is a really awesome writer, and I love getting the articles that come up on her Facebook feed.

For starters, go check out her blog. Good, real stuff. http://ed-bites.blogspot.com/

Anyway, today she posted this on the FB feed:

http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/stuck/201105/why-i-avoid-mirrors

I was at the zoo with my son (don't tell my school...I skipped out early because I didn't have an afternoon class! Shhh!), and saw this posted. And figured I'd read it while waiting for the zoo train to start moving. And once I started reading, I realized that this was the sort of article that was going to demand more of my attention.

Man, I don't know WHAT to think. Part of me applauds the author for "coming out" with her mirror avoidance. It's a good thing to recognize when a tool (be it mirror or bathroom scale) is causing unnecessary strife and contributing to self-loathing. Been there, done that, squeezed into the t-shirt, then had to buy new t-shirts in a myriad of sizes.

On the other hand...goodness, but is she ever hatin' on herself! And, if I may say, I think there's a world of difference between what she's doing (avoiding reflective surfaces so as to, if I read her words correctly, avoid seeing her imperfections confirmed by the mirror) and what I was doing with the scale (avoiding the scale so as to avoid having my self-image distorted by the number on the scale).

Both are protectionist measures, sure. I'm just glad that I'm at a place where, almost all of the time, I think I look pretty good...and all of the time, I feel like a worthwhile person.

What do you think?