learning to love me…

so, i, like most other women, have always suffered from the effects of comparing my body to others'.
my legs were never slim or long enough. my torso was too long. my ears too big and they stick out. my nose was a bit too wide and had a slightly upturned end. i always have circles under my eyes. my arms are too hairy. i break out whenever i am unhealthy, which is often. i have always had a big arse and wide hips. even as a kid.
these were flaws (are flaws?) that i saw in myself for ages.
nothing has really changed.
in fact, my hips and arse are bigger. and my stomach is, too.
my skin has lightened over the years allowing all my scars to show and it seems to highlight the excess hair even more.
but one thing has changed.
bit by bit i have been able to not only own, but be proud of each of these once perceived flaws.
those big sticky-outy ears? my husband lovingly calls me Fivel (from An American Tale) and i love it! Fivel was a scrapper and an adorable one at that.
and he likes my arse/hip size/shape.
no. i am not saying that i only like these things because he does...
rather, i decided to embrace these things before i met him. i decided to not worry about them and to own these as features that make up me... that set me apart as me.
and he, too, has done the same.
the eye circles? meh, a sign of my health. the darker they are, the more i know i must take care of myself. 
my nose? i cannot imagine my face with a different nose. i would not be me. i would hate to look in the mirror and see a stranger's face.
my torso is still a long torso, compared to the average measurements, and my legs are still short and curvy... but they are my torso and my legs. anything else would be weird.
i do want to lose a few pounds. but not because i want to change my shape as much as because i want to breathe easier and run more and be able to carry a child to term.
what i want from my body is health.
not someone else's determination of beauty or fitness, but strength and health.
i am a true believer of inner beauty.
i look at people and see what they are. not necessarily how they look.
it is a gift.
ugly people, to me, are those who hate and judge and are vindictive and mean and assert their power over others for kicks.
beautiful people seek to love and understand themselves and others. they spread love and joy and have a peace. they strive to see the beauty in others which, ultimately, serves to increase their own beauty.
i have been reading posts by a beautiful woman, Erin Brown, who seeks to build others up while sharing a bit of herself.
i find her brave not because she is a woman doing this, nor because of her shape or fitness level or beauty. i find her brave because sharing so much of one's self leaves one so very open and exposed. and to open and expose yourself to others is brave.
regardless of whether you are man or woman or gay or straight or bi or the shade of your skin or the amount of hair you have on your head.... regardless of whether you are round or slim or short or tall proportioned like a model or like me... sharing so much of yourself is just brave.
i cannot do that, but i love that some can. and i find it brave and empowering that they do because people like Erin make me look at me and say, "you dunce. why do you hate on yourself?! you are you for a reason! don't change that. love it. make you stronger and more beautiful from the inside out as you are meant to."
i need to remind myself of this each time i go shopping or try on my clothes to go out in public. but it gets easier to do each time. 
the more i do it, the more i accept me for me, the easier it is to ignore the negative self-talk.
the more i exercise this self-acceptance, the more it becomes a habit and not an exercise.

i recently ran into an old co-worker of mine. some ladies at my old job had taken to e-mailing each other about her eating habits and shape/size and she stumbled across one such exchange.
what their own issues are, we cannot say. but their spiteful discussion of this ex-coworker brought tears to my eyes. angry tears.
how could anyone judge her in such a harsh light?! she is a beautiful person with a ton on her plate and a huge heart. she loves her friends loyally. and takes excellent care of her family. when she really smiles, the room lights up a bit more. when she is  truly happy, you can feel it.
how dare they judge anything else about her.
if she is happy with herself, why should anything matter to them?
but their words cut her to her core.
they were ugly and it got to her.
she says it encouraged her to lose weight.
...but i fear it caused her to change her appearance for them. for others she feared might think the same.
and that makes me sad and angry.
she is losing weight. but i hope not too much. and i hope she finds her happy self. her healthy self. and i hope she can just be content with all her body parts and features as i am learning (bit by bit, piece by piece) to be.

as for you?
look at yourself. if you must, write down all those flaws you perceive. imagine yourself with your perfect body. now think really hard. is that still you that you are imagining? or is it a model with your head and face (and a little bit of work done on the face too)?
don't change you. you are loved by someone who would hate to see you change too much.
strive to make yourself beautiful on the inside. strive to be a healthier and stronger you.
but please don't change you too much.
chances are, you are a beautiful person who needs naught more than a good hug and a perfect day to put things into perspective.

we need to stop comparing our looks to others. we need to stop comparing our gifts to others.
if we see something we admire in others, strive for it. but know that our realization may not take the exact form. because we are all so different and beautiful in our own ways.
and we need to learn that for ourselves before we can expect to pass it onto our kids.
this can be our legacy. for better or for worse.
what will yours be?