The Selfie

 
The SELFIE. Word of the year. Well last year, anyways. And a social media rite of passage.

Most of you have done it. At least once. 

By now, everyone and their mother have taken a selfie.

And everybody's got an opinion about them. 
"The use of the diminutive -ie suffix is notable, as it helps to turn an essentially narcissistic enterprise into something rather more endearing." -Judy Pearsall, Oxford Dictionary editor
Including you.

Citizen SELFIE: Bella and the beast.

And while I am trying to steer away of the meta-micro-world of the me-me-me, and the narcististic focus represented by the ubiquitous selfie, I am a big proponent of the empowerment of taking a self-portrait. Seriously.
It's because I've become proficient at taking a flattering "selfie" that I feel expressive and confident in my +40 year old self. I like to feel beautiful, and see it reflected back at me, when I search for the perfect window lighting for that signature head + shoulder mug shot. To date, no one else has shown the patience or the eye to take a decent picture of this middle aged edition of myself.
So I embrace the selfie. And those who choose to take them.
But this one by far, is my favorite:   Because, you + me = WE. And WE are part of a bigger singular self than our meat-prop bodies and juicy mugs. As far as stellar celebrity selfies go, Ellen and the gang doesn't hold a candle to Mama Earth.