The beauty I see everyday (but usually miss)

In response to my post where I talked about my distorted self-image, a good friend suggested I do an exercise in which I list out the things I like and the things I don't like about my body - specifics, things like "the luster of my hair" to "the dimples on my butt."  (Not that I have dimples on my butt. That's just an example, of course.)

I knew it was something I had to do because I'm in search of truth. I know my self-image is distorted, and I know that I focus primarily on all the stuff about myself that I don't like. Instead of doing that, I'd like to focus on that things I do like, and not just things I like about my character. I know that real beauty is on the inside, but let's be honest: there is beauty on the outside, too. I am a physical being; I'm made up of spirit, soul, and body. And as a woman, I've been endowed with beauty from my creator who is beauty itself. Therefore, there must be something beautiful about my physical self, right?

Anyway, when I finally sat down to do the exercise at least two weeks after it was proposed, I really did think that the things I don't like would outweigh the things I do like. The things I don't like are the things I focus on daily; I rarely think about the things I actually do like, so I was convinced they were few and far between.

I was wrong. The things I like about my body outweigh the things I don't like by more than 2:1. In other words, I like twice as many things about myself as I dislike. (To be fair, though, I probably dislike my thighs more than I like the fact that I have straight hair. And I probably like my olive skin more than I dislike the little bumps on my upper arms.) Even so, I find it completely baffling that by just putting a half an hour into this exercise, I was able to come up with this list. It could grow - in either column - as I think about it more, I'm sure. But for now, it's eye-opening.

I include the list below for a couple of reasons. First, I do so in hopes that I'll really own this list if it's published. I don't want to just shove the list away somewhere; I want to remember it, to use it to focus on the things that are true and lovely about myself when I'm tempted to focus only on the things I'm unhappy about. Second, I hope that somewhere someone might be encouraged to do the same thing and to discover the happy truth that there are many lovely things about herself that she actually adores. If you're struggling with self-image, I encourage you to do the same. And don't berate yourself for things that are beyond your control at the moment you write the list (ie: swollen ankles that accompany pregnancy...). Just think about yourself in your normal, stare into the mirror, and discover the beautiful things that you see every day, but usually miss.

Things I Like

My hair

… its color (brown)

… its shine

… its softness

… its straightness

My eyes

… their shade of deep brown

… the way they smile

… my eyelashes that easily curl

… my little mole just next to my left eye

My mouth

… straight teeth

… soft, full lips

… my smile

My skin

… its softness

… its elasticity

… the olive tone, especially because I tan easily

… the little brown freckles sprinkled over my body

… my birthmarks

… the fact that I don’t have stretch marks

My neck & shoulders

… my collar bone. Strangely, I love it.

My arms

… my forearms: their shape, size

… my wrists (I think they’re dainty)

My hands

… long fingers

… healthy nails with long nail beds

My curves

... the fact that I have a feminine body

… well-proportioned waist, hips, rear

My height

… 5’4’’ –tall enough to feel “not short,” and short enoughto feel “not tall.”

My feet

… a nice size at 7.5

… they look really cute when my toenails are painted

Things I Don’t Like

My face

… its roundness

My hair

… how fine it is

… and how dark and course it is on the rest of my body

My arms

… the little bit of skin underneath them that flaps

… the bumps on my arms

My torso and hips

… extra padding

… my tummy “pooch,” as I call it

My legs

… my inner and outer thighs. Heck, just my thighs in general.

… my calves. They're on the big side.

… my ankles, for reasons I can’t figure out