After months on the road, I came to terms with the selfie. I resisted for a while. I hate taking photos of myself and I generally end up looking terrible or stupid or the least flattering ever. 

But, some of my friends who read my blog encouraged me to add more photos. In an effort to keep my information interesting and relevant, I caved. I started to take more photos of myself doing whatever the hell it is I do during my pilgrimage. I am still not great at it, but I am more confident and comfortable with the whole thing.

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I also noticed that my perspective on life shows on my face. I have these two lines right above my nose and right where my eyebrows meet. Had I not packed my mirror and tweezers I would direct you to the middle of my unibrow. Fortunately, one of those does not exist. 

I noticed these lines in the last few weeks of photos. They stand our more than I recall. This may be due to the excessive amount of sun I am exposing myself to. But, it reminds me just how I live my life. These two lines, and the ones that are around my mouth, become prominent when I am questioning something or someone or when I am puzzled. 

I know this to be true about me – I live my life with a question mark. I am always asking, probing, seeking information. A friend of mine called me an IF, information freak, and he was not wrong. My face even shows it! These lines are here from squinting and from questioning. I think more question than squint, though I should wear a hat more often while down in the coastal south.

Now, I have friends who have most of their lines around the outside of their eyes. They have smile lines. Prominent smile lines. That is great for them, smiling so much their wrinkles are in the outside corner of their eyes. Sandra is a prime example. I am not sure if she smiles excessively, but she has those lines. Her Dad has them, too. 

I firmly believe we need all sorts of folks with all sorts of lines in our world. When told to JUMP, we need the folks who ask HOW HIGH? We need the folks who respond with an enthusiastic YES, and we need the folks who ask WHY? We need the folks who will say YOU JUMP, and we need the folks who will flat out respond with NO. My experiences in this life have shown me that when we bring together this diversity in our perspectives, the decisions of our society are much more accurate and equitable and thoughtful. It takes all of us to negotiate the best course of action for the more prudent response. 

Yes, I live my life with question marks. No, I will not I apologize. This is how I am wired, this is how I am and there is not much anyone can do to change the hard wiring of my DNA. I am inquisitive, I question just about everything and everyone, and I am unafraid of challenge. In fact, a healthy and spirited discourse brings a smile to my face. I love a good banter! It is like an aphrodisiac to me. It is how I test someone’s worth, character, depth and intentions. 

Here I am, me and my face, traveling around and having adventures. I am soaking up all of the information I get on a daily basis. I am learning all about new and foreign parts of the country in which I live and I am delighted by the breadth and depth of the new things to which I am exposed. I ask questions, I poke and prod and seek a deeper meaning. That is me. That is how I am. That is reflected in my face. It is my one and only face. I am sure I will continue to question this life and the things in it. My lines will deepen as by brow continues to furrow. 

Let the smilers smile and the doubters doubt and the questioners question. It takes us all to have a healthy and balanced approach to life. 

Cheers to the ever deepening lines on our faces and kudos for stories they tell!