The Edits of our Lives

I read on Tuesday that Princess Catherine of Wales aka Princess Kate, issued an apology because she received a backlash for editing a photo she released on social media.  She simply “fixed” a photo to celebrate Mother’s Day. 

I get it. She is royalty and authenticity is essential to strict editing guidelines. Apparently this wasn’t the first of the royal couple’s photo alterations. Their 2023 Christmas card was altered.

Lord, have mercy!  I might need to apologize for my photo edits. I might have taken the head out of a grandchild in a family photo and replaced it with one that wasn’t with their tongue sticking out!  Or I might use “photo repair” to take off blemishes from our faces. Sigh!

I might also remove the background of a photo, like my FB profile photo.  It had a group of people in the background. I wanted my readers to see us – not the group of people.

Editing.  As I type this blog today, I think about our daily editing.  The edits that are less than authentic are like putting on a happy face amid real painful issues going on in and around us.  We struggle with authenticity. What would people think if they knew this about me?

I was the Editor for a monthly newspaper that went out to consumers for the Canadian Valley Electric Cooperative in Seminole, OK.  One of the things I learned was to edit aka cut out everything that wasn’t necessary so a more meaningful story could be revealed.  I did the same thing when I was asked to edit an article or speech someone was about to give.

I highly recommend that we edit our daily lives.  What is consuming our time and physical well-being and even our thought time-wasters?  Maybe we need to edit our friendships – those that tend to cause more angst than positivity.  And, what about our hobbies?  Are they causing more stress and time commitments than fueling us with joy and peace?

And what about the time we spend surfing the internet or checking our social media platforms?   

Now, let’s take a close look at what brings our life value. Is THAT important to me?  Is it in line with my life priorities and values? How would it affect my life if I dropped out? Maybe more time for more worthwhile things.

I was a relentless pickleball player.  That is, until I suffered two hamstring injuries in a year’s time.  I had a wake-up call and decided to EDIT that fun sport. I eliminated the potential of further injuries.

Let’s do a self-analysis about what needs to be edited out of our lives.  The things that’s least in line with our life values, priorities, and goals. It will free up a lot of our time, and while others may be disappointed, we must determine what’s most important in our lives – not everyone else’s.

This blog came from reading about Princess Kate’s editing issues and the editing issues that we all need to consider.  Let’s fess up!  Let’s superpower up!  Making changes aka edits in our lives might free us up to take on that “thing” that might put us on a smoother journey with less hassles.

“Your life is your story. Write it well. Edit it often.” Susan B. Anthony

“Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and reaching forward to what is ahead,” Philippians 3:13