Dear She,

Before you shake your head, roll your eyes, hang your head in shame: don’t. We really ARE beautiful. Sometimes it is a bit hard to remember that with all the stress acne, the persistent weight gain, anxiety, and dark circles under our eyes because of insomnia. I know that we only try to look pretty when we go out to dinner with friends or family, or on a Saturday night at the bar. But pretty isn’t what I’m talking about. I’m talking about real beauty. Do you know how wonderful we have been to others? Our compassion is outstanding; when we say we care, we feel that deep within our very beings. Our love flows through every word, every action, every thought. It is this love for others that blinds us,though. It keeps us occupied, from the love that we don’t have for ourself. We don’t love ourself. We look at those dark circles and wide nose, we look at our hips and our calves, our thighs, our upper arms, our stomach, our back, our acne, our scars. We don’t look deeper. We don’t dig deeper than the flesh upon our bones. We are more than just elements, more than just water and earth and wind and fire; we are soul, we are love, we are passion, we are creativity, we are force, we are perseverance, we are talent, we are intelligence, we are the people we touch, we are the lives who care about us, we are the friends and family that understand our struggles and pain and anger. We are so much more than our negativity. We should love ourself. And one day, these words will actually come true. We have to hope and we have to work hard, but we can do it. I know we can. Because we are beautiful.

With all the love we have,

Love, Me

Age: 21