That visual

In the time we live, image is everything. What you look like and how you act will affect everything you are a part of. This became clearly evident when the elections made the change from radio to tv. No longer was it about the speaker, it became who would be the best face of America.

Much like elections, if you can't portray the person you need to be visually, you won't be that person--or at least you'll have to work harder on it.

Beyond the physical characteristics, what you do will change the way people view you forever. A good thing lasts. Unfortunately, bad things leave a lasting awful taste. Be careful because you're going into a world where everyone knows everyone and the gossip train moves fast. People will find out the bad about you a lot faster than the good.

I was showing a dear friend of mine all 99 of my senior pictures. Some of them were less than spectacular, to put it lightly. Others were top notch. As I go through them, lingering on the ones I'm the most proud of--the very extravagant ones that have an elegant, sexy look to them--I knew that he was going to say something. And what he said, was not what I expected.

He said that yes, the pictures were very neat and well done and I did look great in them. However, because of the way he knows me, it felt weird to see me like that. I've always treated this man, this friend, with respect. He was always dating someone so I never felt the need to try to become something more. He was only ever my friend and I treated him as such.

He preferred the pictures that screamed my quirky personality. The personality of someone who was different from different. Someone that sees beyond the world and thinks deeper and cares a lot more than anyone really should. Someone that can take the good with the bad and see one's potential and treat them as the best person they could be, not who they currently are.

Image is everything. How incredible it is that our eyes are the reason we are able to unlock the world and give our mind the key to understanding.