Okay, so maybe I am not dressed up. Fine. I admit it: I am in my baggy sweat pants and an undershirt sitting at home, and far from dressed up. But I must admit I look good, or at least better than usual. It is just one of those days where my hair and makeup come together just right to make me a fine specimen of a woman. haha. Not to sound conceited, but I know I am beautiful. I was raised knowing it. My mother and my father raised me with the confidence to know who I am, and to know where I came from. They told me, “You are beautiful,” and despite their parental bias, I believed them. And so, as a product of this nurturing environment, I grew up loving myself. I realize that that may sound egotistical, but the truth is everyone needs to have a certain amount of self-love just to function. This concept of self-love has been discussed by many prominent physchologists, including Dr. Mary Pipher(who wrote Reviving Ophelia, the book that convinced me to be homeschooled). Without loving yourself, you really don't have the ability to truly love others. And I know for an absolute fact that I love others. I love my family. I love my friends. I love Jesus. And yes, I love you; the person reading this.
Now, without the nurturing environment that I grew up in, my confidence in myself has been tested. When you have the assurances of everyone around you, it is easy to be yourself, to believe in yourself. But like a little bird leaving the nest, I am testing my wings now. I guess I have discovered that I do like flying. But that doesn’t mean I don’t fall.
You know you love me.
XOXO,
Miss M
As a quick side note, here is one of my favorite quotes from one of my favorite books:
She personally thought that the only reason most girls put up with most boys was because they needed reassurance that they were pretty. That was one thing, maybe the only thing, Lena knew about herself without reassurance. –Sisterhood of Traveling Pants
