Friday, January 8, 2016

Insta-snap-quick-tweet meets the step back ...

It's rare to find me still for very long but when I am, I sit down with a nice cup of tea and read. Sometimes I like long reads like Edith Wharton. Sometimes I like short reads like a magazine. Today, was a magazine day. I had just picked up a copy of the Fairfax Woman Magazine (my friend Oda Solms does a fabulous job publishing not only this monthly lifestyle magazine but two sister magazines -- Alexandria Woman and Southern Maryland Woman -- as well; all free and available at stands at the Metro train stations and in select shops throughout the DMV) and delved into the pages.

But this wasn't just reading for fun. You see, I write an article now and then for this publication and I specifically wanted to read what I had written, again. Yes, I know, I read it several times over while I was writing it but that is proofreading. This was just reading it for fun, to read it with the eyes of another. That is what helps me be a better writer, to look back on what I wrote and read it not with a critical eye but to see that I had done my job to educate or entertain the reader. I think I did just that but you can tell me what you think. So, sit down with a cup of tea or coffee and flip through this link (pay special attention to page 34).
http://www.flipsnack.com/77FDF7EC5A8/fairfax-woman-magazine-januaryfebruary-2016.html

I think in this day insta-snap-quick-tweets, we lose sight of stepping back to look at things. This kind of attitude can be applied to any aspect in your life -- relationships, career, even fashion. I've been known to try on what I thought was a cute outfit only to look at it from my sister's eyes and promptly put it right back on the rack. When you step back and look at yourself and your actions from a different perspective (i.e. trying to see it from someone else's eyes/viewpoint) it can sometimes mean changing or improving for the better. Of course there are also times when I see things from others perspectives and I still think their opinion is madder than the mad hatter. You still need those crazy viewpoints though ... keeps you sane and makes for great laughter :-) 

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