31 Days of Self Love - Day 7

Name a think you love about your body and your personality. If you had asked me a year ago to name something I love about my body, I would have automatically said my eyes. They're blue and they sparkle, and I get a good number of compliments on them. As a default, for years, I've simply answered that my eyes were my favorite. But, the thing is, I don't think my eyes are really my favorite. I think my eyes are everyone else's favorite. It actually wasn't until I was just faced with this question - and really thought about it - that I realize that my answer is something entirely different. I realize that my favorite thing about my body is how strong it is. Until late last summer, I never would have considered myself strong. Sure, I could lift heavy things, but I attributed that to being a big girl and having a lot of weight behind me. It wasn't until I started working in a different position at work that required to lift heavy things fairly regularly that I realized that I could be strong. I then started walking in the fall, and going anywhere from three to ten miles in a shot (generally averaging walks that were six or seven miles) a couple of days a week that I really realized I was strong. I've come to realize that my body can handle a lot more than I ever gave it credit for. My body can adapt to changes. My body can walk up hills, and through wooded paths. My body can stock fifty-pound bags of dog food without faltering. My body is tough, and I've never thought so until I pushed it further than I thought it could go.

My favorite thing about my personality is probably that I'm kind. I always say that I need to stop letting people walk all over me, or that I need to put myself first in more situations (I'm better than I used to be about that), but I kind of love my kindness. People who don't know me well never seem to suspect that I'm a good person. I'm crass and have a big mouth and say what's on my mind a little too often. But at the end of the day, I'm the one who makes sure my friends have food to eat. I'm the one who remembers dates and checks in on friends when I know they'll need it. I'm the one always looking for ways to help others. I'm the one who's opened up my home to let people stay with me who had nowhere else to go. I may have a loud mouth, and I may drop the F-bomb on a fairly constant basis, but don't let that confuse you - I am still the one who'll make sure you're okay.