I will honor my body.

I will love the skin I’m in.

I will no longer compare my body to another woman’s.

The journey I have been on is my own, no one else can know the darkness I have caused my body to endure, no one else can know the light that shines through me regardless of that darkness.

I will no longer look in the mirror and cringe.  I will embrace my flaws.

I will no longer be controlled by body image.  We are all just star dust, in this imperfect human form.

I will be ok with where I am, no matter what the scale says. No matter what society says.

I will leave behind detrimental thinking patterns that have caused me to focus solely on my outward appearance.  What a waste of time that is.

I will begin using that time to tend to matters of the soul.  Striving everyday to grow, to be a better human, to love BIGGER.

I will love myself.

I will love my reflection in windows as I pass by, not because I am super model status, but because I am so much more.

I am me.

I am love, I am beauty, I am fearless.

I will not be constrained by what society calls beautiful.  I will wear what I want, when I want, with no apologies.

I will no longer be a slave to the scale.  That number isn’t real.  What is real, is the magic that dwells inside me.

I will no longer call myself names or criticize myself.  Goddess knows, there are enough critics running around, why add to that?

I am not fat, I am not saggy, I am not cellulite, or stretchmarks, or wrinkles, or gray hair.

I am amazingly me.  Unique in all I think and say and do.  I will revel in my uniqueness.

I will no longer guilt myself into doing things that I don’t enjoy.  I will listen to my body.

There are days I want to lift heavy things, days I want to do yoga, days I want to hike, and then there are days I want to lie on the couch all day, cuddled up with a good book and some chocolate.

I give myself permission to do ALL of those things.

I will do them when I want, how I want, and without feeling a damn bit guilty about it.

It is okay for me to go to the gym, & equally okay for me NOT to go to the gym.  Okay to practice yoga, while just as okay NOT to practice.

I will listen to my body and give it what it needs.  Whatever that need may be, in that moment, on that day.

I am ever-changing, as is my body, there is no one size fits all life.  I am realizing this now…

I will love me.

I will take long baths, naps, and walks in the sunshine.

I will fuel my body with nutrients that make me feel alive.  I will have greens and vitamins and shakes.

I will also lavishly enjoy chocolate, wine and southern cooking.

I will find my own truth.

I will find my own balance.

I will no longer force my body to endure brutal workouts day in and day out in pursuit of perfect muscle definition.  Because, what good is a perfect body if it is carrying a broken soul?

Instead I will move in ways that make me happy, simply to say thank you to my body for how amazing it has been to me.

I will take care of myself.

I will rest, I will meditate, I will sit in silence.

I give myself permission to howl at the moon, to dance around naked, to be unceremoniously wild.

I will love me.