Throughout the years I have come to love…

The wavy curves of my hips.

My sunny blue eyes that see beauty around me.

My rosy cheeks that color when I’m excited, or cold, or surprised.

My dirty blond curls that bounce along side me.

My big smile that helps put others at ease.

My small but powerful hands that can mold dough, paint pictures and write out stories.

My fast and strong legs that have propelled me through a triathlon and a 10K.

My capable arms that can craddle a small child.

My beating heart that allows me to dance and jump and play.

Throughout the years, regardless of the ads, the “perfect” celebrities, the pressure from every side, I have come to realize that thinking of my body as a canvas for perfection puts up walls around what my body can truly do.

Throughout the years I have realized my body is meant to move, so I have pushed myself and found power and balance deep inside my core and beauty in my reflection.

Throughout the years I have come to truly believe that I am, and you are: beautiful and capable of anything and everything just the way I am.

Throughout the years I have come to love myself.