Today I showed a bad picture of myself to a room full of strangers.

Mostly because I wanted to prove that even our "bad" moments are transient.

It was a pic of me at 10...pre-orthodontia.

yep. Buck teeth.

Hence, my nickname through the 6th grade, "Kim Buck-tooth"

Well...it helped to make me who I am today.

Resilient.

Steadfast.

Surly.

But...in a way, those years of childhood drama and torment were a blessing.

So today...we talked about what we have been protecting...what secrets have we withheld??? Who have we made ourselves appear to other people???

Well...I, for one, have really plugged the smile thing.

Before braces, I never smiled...except when i couldn't help it...and my protruding front teeth made themselves obvious.

All of this is in an effort to gain freedom. What effort are we putting into withholding secrets that, honestly, no one but us cares about??

Probably too much.

So I showed a hideous picture of me squinting into the camera with a severe overbite and a gaze that looks like it came from too many bong hits...(but, I was only 10...so that probably wasn't the case...) How freeing it was. Yep. Cliche'. I know. But, it was the one photo I have hidden from my friends and family since 1979. Guess what??? I don't think anyone even cared. In fact, I know they didn't...'cause here's the thing..."WE ARE THE ONLY ONES WHO MAKE OUR LIVES HELL" so...does showing this pic mean I am completely free of my demons??? Uh. No.

BUT!

Today...I feel GOOD! Damn good. 'cause now...EVERYONE knows how ugly I was at 10.

Love and blessings...Kim