On February 1, I challenged y’all to write a love letter to yourself. I hope you do. I finally did my own. If you’ve written one, please link in the comments so I can read it.

Dear Sarah,

Well, girly, you wanted a love letter for Valentines Day – who better for it to come from?

I gave you this assignment because I think you need it – I think too often you are quick to sell yourself short, you are quick to point out your flaws, you are quick to tear yourself down. I know why you do it (we share a brain, after all) – but – there’s good to you also.

When you were a kid, maybe the message didn’t entirely get through to you that it’s okay to like yourself – that it’s okay to be happy with yourself or to be proud of your achievements. I kind of like that you’re learning now – it’s not an easy lesson, it’s not a fast lesson… but you’re coming around. And what’s better is that you are making sure your children are raised with more positive messages – you are teaching them that who they are is amazing and incredible and that they have potential to do so much. You are loving them for who they are now, not who they might be someday.

But this is no surprise – this is how you are with most people in your life. You are admittedly guarded as to who (who? whom? Your love letter may not be grammatically correct. I’m sorry) you will trust with your heart – you’ve been hurt, and you’re cautious – but once you let someone in, they’re in. I love that about you – because you have the capacity to care so much for the people in your life, and you do a good job with letting them know that they are thought of, cared for and special to you.

You are resilient and you are strong. Your strength has carried you a long way in life and it is only recently that you are learning that you don’t HAVE to be that strong, and you don’t have to be stoic, and you can show people that you’re hurt and are hurting, or even lean on someone when you need to lean.

You cry, you love, you laugh, you feel, you hurt, you ache, you flutter, you fall, you dance, you retreat, you reach out, you build up, you smile, you embrace.

You wear your emotions on your face – and it’s not difficult to read you – your smile tells a story when it reaches your eyes and your dimples are pronounced and on display – your joy is evident. When you’re sad or hurt, or pissed – that’s pretty clear too. No one really has to wonder where they stand with you, that’s for sure.

You look at the world as if through a lens – and you are constantly framing the world in front of you, which means that you notice and appreciate details that often others overlook. You quote cheesy movies at random moments and you attach significance to your memories with the lyrics of songs. Those who mean the most to you are tied to you permanently through the memory of music.

You can name all fifty states in alphabetical order and you make amazing cookies and you like to share them. You believe in writing notes and touching base, and you nurture your relationships because your friends lift you – and lighten you. You are a smart woman but you still appreciate a juvenile joke. You love words. You do things with words that are amazing sometimes. You dance – freely and unabashedly and you don’t care who is watching or who sees. You are in constant motion – you rarely slow down – you embrace movement – it makes you feel better, and you like the end result of lovely arms and and a healthy body.

Don’t think too much, Sarah. Just embrace each moment and enjoy who and what you are and know that it’s enough and that you’re pretty awesome just the way you are right now.

xoxo,

Yourself.

Today is the first day of February – the day when we enter into the shortest month that feels like the longest month. The month where you are bombarded with glitter and hearts  and schmaltzy cards and the expectation that you are to show everyone how much you love them because some corporation said that you should.

I think it’s a scam.

I hate Valentines Day. I can’t remember when I have ever liked it – perhaps, in elementary school when everyone gave everyone cards and there were cupcakes and a party and really no pressure to say or do anything but sign your name on some card adorned with a licensed character’s face and some cheesy Valentine pun.

And while it’s always nice to tell other people that you love them, and how you feel – I’mma change things up this month because like my daughter, sometimes I need to color outside the lines (Okay. Not really. I’m a color-inside-the-line girl – but I’m kicking off my shoes. Just once).

This month, I would love to see you write a love letter.

To yourself.

I know, I know. You’re thinking, “Letters to yourself, that’s been DONE about a million times.” Maybe so. Well. Definitely so. But – how often do we write these letters to ourselves in this moment? Where we are now, how we are now, our experiences and our feelings NOW? When do we take the time to look at ourselves with the same non-judging eye with which we look at our friends and loved ones and see ourselves the way our friends see us? (If you’re like me, the answer is: not often enough).

“But you’re so hypocritical, Sarah!” you’re saying. “You’re not very loving to yourself. You talk down about yourself and you are so critical of what you see and who you are! How dare YOU ask US to do this?”

Well… because I need this just as much as you do.

This month. I’ll join you. I’ll be writing and posting a love letter to myself as well. I have 28 days to do it. You can write your letter in the comments or on your own blog – if you write on your blog, please share the link with me.