I won’t lie. I check my reflection in the mirror many times during the day. Someone may call this self-obsession or even narcissism, but this is not the case. My obsession is different. When I look in the mirror, I look for flaws. I don’t look at myself marveling about my beauty.
But, one day, I looked at myself in the mirror and everything was different because I was completely naked. Something which I’ve never done before.
If this is a normal thing for you, bravo! You are someone I aspire to be one day. And I am happy for you. Unluckily, I am not there yet because I am still very aware of my flaws.
And yet, I was standing bare-ass naked and I stared at myself in the mirror.
My fingers started gently going over my stomach, feeling its softness. I touched the fat I am trying to lose and then turned over and stared at my cellulite. I run my fingers over my stretch marks, straightened my spine, and then I placed my hands on my hips and said to myself, “Perhaps, it would be great if I always stood like this.” And this realization hit me hard.
I remembered something I read recently. It was about the importance of practicing self-love daily. I know that we all know this without having to be reminded, but that piece of paper I’ve read opened my eyes and I started thinking what self-love is and what it meant to me.
Is self-love an ability to console me? To eat healthily and exercise regularly? Maybe by doing this, I will start loving my body more and then I will buy a lotion for eliminating stretch marks and perhaps I would get a tan. I will buy myself a new dress, change my hair, do my makeup, and then look in the mirror and love my reflection.
Then I thought that self-love is going on trips with friends, hitting the town, wearing sexy dresses and perhaps getting a tattoo that will cover my stretch marks. Maybe then I would love myself…
But then it dawned on me, these things are not self-love. Because I may never have the body I wish to have. Therefore, why not love myself now and accept myself as I am today?
I stood still for a moment and then I took a deep breath, letting my fingers go through my naked body once again and then I started feeling warm. I decided to love my body as it is because it is still beautiful, and it is a part of me.
And maybe I am beautiful because of the flaws. Perhaps the flaws are what make us unique and exceptional. Maybe flaws are the best part.
