Two Words. Love Yourself.

It's been a few days since I've posted.  My kids were home for a quick visit this weekend and we were "on the go" almost the entire time.  Those of you with college kids, I know you understand how precious those moments can be when your whole family is joined together.

I've been thinking about a post that showed up on my news feed on Facebook last week.  The question posed was something like "If you were to give advice to your younger self in two words, what would you say?"  I couldn't think of anything in two words but over the next week, I could not stop thinking about that post.

On Friday, there was an article about a freshman UPenn student who had committed suicide.  Reading that article really touched me.  My daughter is a freshman in college and though she recently transferred to a school that she loves, her first semester at college was a very difficult experience.  The UPenn student's picture showed a vibrant and beautiful girl.  Those who were not close to her probably had no idea what she was truly struggling with on the inside.  Many people assume that if you are a pretty girl with a smile on your face, you must be happy and have everything going for you.  Such a tragic loss.

Back to the Facebook post…(bear with me!)  "If you were to give advice to your younger self in two words, what would you say?"  It finally came to me.  Two words…love yourself.  LOVE YOURSELF!  Growing up - feeling quite insecure and never really feeling like I fit in - I was well into adulthood before I really started to love myself.  In fact, it wasn't until I became a mother and expecting my children to love themselves that it dawned on me that I might need to take some of that advice that I was dishing out.  I was talking the talk but not walking the walk.  I made a conscious decision to like the person I am at my core.  I may not be over-joyed with my looks on the outside but the person I am on the inside is a quality person.  A good person.  Someone who is giving and kind.  In fact, that same person has raised two amazing quality people.  What's not to love?  I think of how much easier my life would have been as I was growing up if I spent more time loving myself and less time beating myself up? 

Why are we so hard on ourselves?  If you are a good person and don't love yourself - shame on you!  Start appreciating and accepting who you are.  If you are a parent, be the example.

It's time.