One of my favorite bloggers recently wrote a post a about accepting to yourself. About realizing that you’re beautiful for a variety of reasons- that beauty shouldn’t be defined only by the super models of the world.  Her post in and of itself is amazing and in it she asks people to share why they are beautiful.  I dare you  not to read the comments and smile.  Here are a few that were shared:

> I’m beautiful because I survived a crazy, anxious childhood; a long slow drop into alcoholism, drug addiction and street life; and now, at 55, I think everything is funny. Because for such a long time, nothing was.

> I am beautiful because somehow I manage to get up one more time than I have fallen down.

> I am beautiful because I have my mother’s strong hands, my grandmother’s hips and my father’s feet. I have the same blue eyes as my sister and the same mole on my third finger as my daughter. I am beautiful because I am parts of all those that I love.

Seriously- how great is that??

But it’s hard- really hard- for me to say what makes me beautiful. When I look in the mirror most of the time, all I see are the flaws. The 12 pounds that I’ve been trying to lose since having the Bean. The random gray hairs. The eyes that need a stronger prescription every year. The various scars all over my body- from my car accident, from being pregnant, from being the least graceful person in NY state.

But that body, as imperfect as it is, finally after 3 long, hard years carried and birthed two healthy, perfect babies.  That baby weight doesn’t reflect as much time at the gym as I’d like, but it does reflect time that was better spent with my family and friends living life.  The outside may not be conventionally beautiful, but my sense of self, my innate optimism and my fierce love of my family and friends make me beautiful.

What makes YOU beautiful?