Deception in Perception: A Therapeutic Writing Case Study

Okay, folks. The case study.

What could it be? What could it be? Well, you know . . . it’s gotta be about me, unfortunately.

I’m about to tell on myself, namely because I want to correct something I mistakenly did on this blog recently. And partly, because I thought it would help bring some healing to yours truly by sharing as well as to show you how innocently we can do the wrong thing when our perception on a matter gets skewed somehow.

Such was my faux pas on  January 19, 2023 — almost a complete month ago! And, a faux pas it truly was. Here’s what dictionary.com has as the definition of faux pas:

Noun: “a slip or blunder in etiquette, manners, or conduct; an embarrassing social blunder or indiscretion.”

Yep. That’s exactly what it was and is.

And when I lay out this case study, you may not think it to be much; but in Jana’s world of blogging etiquette, it was a straight up social blunder on my part.

Here’s what happened:

Just like any regular day of posting, I woke up to the anticipation of sending out another part of me — a Degrees of Maternity piece of written content dear to my heart. I’ve been really savoring every opportunity I have to drop some knowledge about this beneficial choice of self-expression known as therapeutic writing.

It’s been my pleasure to do so, as a matter of fact. And, I plan on continuing to blog out some healthy doses of this subject matter of writing all throughout 2023 if my intended course of action sticks to the plan.

But getting back to my highly-anticipated day of distributing blog content . . .

So, I finished my post on that Thursday morning of the 19th (day of distribution). I know. I know. How last minute of me to create the post on the day I post. Well, that’s me. It’s been my writing style for a while now. The whole idea of content planning my blog posts for a month (in advance) was a bit short-lived.

I think it’s a great process to do so — to plan out your content ahead of time. And, I do that to some degree with ideas I may roll around in my mind from week to week. But lately, I’ve been flying by the seat of my pants when it comes to writing my posts. Whatever hits my mind (my heart) at the time, based on life and common sense for this whole writing therapy process, is what spills over to a piece of authentic content by yours truly.

And for today, I veered off the writing therapy process for a moment to cut in with this case study, because again, I’m going to be organic with the written words I deliver to you. In my opinion, I create my best blogging work when I don’t try to micromanage it waaaayyyyy ahead of time. There’s just something incredibly special about letting the written word unfold in your blogging through living life and learning from the timely lessons it throws out to you.

So, I finished my blog post sometime that day, probably that morning or early afternoon of the 19th. I’m not sure of the exact time. But I DO know that I didn’t post it late in the day, because the content-creating part of my brain starts winding down early evening. And you don’t want to read anything I have to write once that starts happening. Hee. Hee.

After completing my post, I always go directly to Canva, my long-standing and trusted friend for imagery excellence, to find a fitting image to go with my blog post. From what I remember, everything’s going great at this point, because I know Canva will come through for me every time. There WILL be that perfect picture to bring my post some visual clarity through its imagery.

I found the picture — so I thought at the time. Uploaded it to my blog post. And sent the blog post out.

Normal process for blogging. Whew! Another post out and I was feeling good.

Until February 15, 2023. And here’s the rest of what happened in this case study. ⇓

On this fateful day of February 15th, I happened to be in Canva, scrolling through my file of past pictures I’ve used for the Degrees of Maternity blog posts because I was going to pull a picture for something. Pinterest, I think. (And yes, I’m back active on Pinterest again.) And that’s when I saw it!

I saw the picture that I originally used for the January 19th post, entitled Write to Communicate to Yourself. Mind you, that post with THAT PICTURE had been up for almost a month before I noticed what I’m about to tell you. But when doing a double take of that picture yesterday, I noticed something different than I noticed the day I uploaded it to my blog post.

I noticed that instead of it being a silhouette of a woman, along the beach at sunrise, with outstretched arms. It was an actual, dark and subtle figure of a woman in a scantily-clad bikini, along the beach at sunrise, with outstretched arms.

What?!

Why had I never noticed that before?! I mean . . . I thought the figure of the woman was just a darkened silhouette in a beautiful, nature scene, seeming to say “Here I am” with her surrendering stance while arms opened wide.

Well . . .

Needless to say, the woman was wearing a bikini at the beach. And after looking at the pic with fresh eyes (waaaayyyyy after the fact), I realized that I couldn’t have picked a worse picture if one was handed to me, labeled “WORSE.” I mean . . . the picture would make absolutely no sense for the post looking at it in all its glory — NOW. And if anyone knows me well enough, they know I’m a VERY MODEST person. So, I’d never be caught at the beach in a bikini — let alone, give the impression (or the perception) that I wear one or encourage others to.

Now, if wearing a bikini is your thing. I’m not judging. I’m just saying that for me and my house, we don’t wear ’em. And, I would never want to give the impression that I do. So, you probably can imagine how mortified I was when I realized my faux pas — an oopsie that had the potential to go out to everyone who reads my content on my different platforms.

Sure, I was able to switch out the picture YESTERDAY on this site with an image-appropriate one that worked just fine. (Why didn’t I see THAT truly perfect picture the first time — UUUUGGGHHHH?!) And, I deleted the posts that I could on Twitter and Facebook (yes, I’m on Facebook now) and then reposted with the updated picture.

But the damage was done. Already. Almost a month ago. And people who saw the post at the time of distribution and anytime after — up until yesterday — saw that stupid picture I included with my blog post.

Hey, and no shade thrown to the photographer and the lady in the pic. The “stupid” is directed strictly at me.

How did this faux pax happen in the first place? How is it that I could have uploaded a picture so incredibly wrong for the post and so incredibly misrepresentative of who I am. Then, look at it again — later — and almost cry when I realized what I mistakenly had done.

Well, so is life. Lesson learned. And lesson placed in a case study reveal at Degrees of Maternity.

Guess what, though?

I forgive myself because I’m only human. Simply stated, my eyes deceived me. But why? Was it because I was suffering from a lack of sleep and misjudged because of sleep deprivation? Or, maybe I was in a hurry to get the blog post up and saw what I wanted to see in a picture to act as its companion. I don’t know. But no matter the excuse, it all boils down to the fact that I’m human. And human beings make mistakes. I made a mistake. My perception was skewed.

I do need a new glasses prescription, though, and better lighting in some of the areas of my house where I create my content.

(Excuses. Excuses.)

Actually though, I can not believe I made THAT blunder. But, I did. And, I’ll make some more. Hopefully, not THAT particular type again. Man!

Anyway, it really feels good to get all this off my chest. You know . . . therapeutic writing will do that for you. Sharing one’s mistakes with others and taking ownership of those mistakes provides such a mental and physical release of burden. It’s like you free yourself from holding yourself hostage when you do that. You should try it some time.

And I figure, no use in pretending that the mess-up didn’t happen, because there’s proof out there that it did. So, why not fess up and admit the THANG and get it off your shoulders and out of your worrisome thoughts?

Lastly, for those of you who noticed the pic from the January 19, 2023 post and thought “What in the world! — now you know.