A Love Letter To Myself

posted 11th October 2011    Written by: Ashley    CATEGORY: All Posts, Ashley, Life Lesson, Love/Relationships, Season 5

Dear Ashley,

I’m just going to be honest and tell you that this is a love letter. I know it’s a little awkward and probably slightly embarrassing, but you are worthy of this. You are loved and you need to know why.

I love you because you are kind, compassionate, sensitive and empathetic. You see people in need and wonder what you can do to help or how you can make their days a little bit easier. I mean, you even made a career out of this! I love that you are full of love and that you seriously want everyone to be happy.

But I also love you because you aren’t afraid to take some time for yourself. You realize how valuable and important you are, and that you can’t help someone else if you are falling apart. When you’re nearing your edge you willingly step back. You are learning to say no, to relax, and to put yourself first. I love that some of your favorite “me time” activities include taking a bath, hitting the yoga mat, and reading for hours on end.

I love you because you don’t worry about eating pizza and ice cream for dinner once in a while, but are also conscious of what it means to be healthy and know that sometimes having a salad is okay too. I love that you have always taken care of your body and continue to  exercise regularly. Lately, you have discovered that you feel most confident and at peace when you are practicing yoga, and I love that you take an hour out of your week to focus on that feeling.

I love you because you could have chosen any other career  field, one that made more money, or wasn’t as emotionally taxing, but you knew where your heart was, and you followed it. I love you because you are smart, determined, motivated, and ambitious. You take the time to decide on what you want, and then you go for it. You aren’t afraid to work hard. You enjoy learning and searching for ways to grow and expand your knowledge and you know what? That is sexy.

I love you because you love to be silly and know how to have fun. Remember that time a couple months ago when you made a fort in your living room for no other reason than because you wanted to? That was awesome. And I love that you randomly make little animal noises and that you don’t think it’s weird to play “Star Wars and Pirates and Cowboys” with kids at work.

I love you because you had your heart broken and you took the time to put the pieces back together. When you were ready, you put yourself out there again and I know that took huge amounts of courage. But look at what you have now! You found a guy who treats you better than you could have ever imagined and you are obnoxiously in love.

I love you because you know what makes you happy and you surround yourself with it. Hanson music, coffee, cheese, wine, friends who love to laugh, feel-good television and movies, and traveling. I love that you listen to Joshua Radin when you’re in writing mode, that you are currently rocking a side ponytail on a daily basis, and that you aren’t afraid to paint your nails obscure colors like Mint Candy Apple.

I love you because you aren’t afraid of adventure. You aren’t afraid to take risks, try something new, and you have huge amounts of faith in yourself that you won’t fail. And if you do, you know that you’ll be make it through.

I love you because you let yourself be sad. You will sit with it, let yourself cry, and just be there. You are still learning how to be angry, but that’s okay. You know that you get quiet, you definitely don’t like to talk about it, and you’d rather be alone than surrounded by people. Sometimes you let a hateful comment slip out, but you feel lousy the second it hits the floor. You are beginning to be more conscious of your words, learning to fill them with kindness, rather than hurt. You are learning and I love you for that.

I love your straight brown hair, your brown eyes with flecks of green and gold. I love the way your waist curves in and hips glide out. I love your soft skin, your freckles, and your small hands. I love your full, pink lips and your long eyelashes. I love that you are learning to speak gentle, encouraging words to yourself.

I love that you are unraveling yourself, on a journey to find your core, that part of you that is the truest version of you. I love that you are taking the time to learn more about yourself, that you recognize the importance of it and that you are so courageous to face it head-on.

But most of all, I love you for loving yourself.

Love,
Ashley

[photo credit: Mine. Before the Hanson concert, August 2010.]

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Comments (8)

8 Responses to “A Love Letter To Myself”

  • Peter Says:
    October 11th, 2011 at 7:30 am

    Perfection.

  • Linda Says:
    October 11th, 2011 at 7:48 am

    You are a very lovable person.

  • KristenCF Says:
    October 11th, 2011 at 4:49 pm

    I saw on your Twitter that you commented that it was difficult to write the post but that you got it done, so major ups to you for stretching your limits to put this out there. This takes super courage and honesty to put it all out there, but most importantly, to look beyond the Negative Nelly voice and criticisms we so commonly put on ourselves to embrace all things AMAZING about you.

  • laurenne_s Says:
    October 11th, 2011 at 7:25 pm

    Is it cliche to say that I LOVE this?! This is brave and absolutely beautiful. And I am copying this idea because I really think everyone should write a love letter to themselves. It's so inspiring. THANK YOU!

  • superawesomeashley Says:
    October 12th, 2011 at 3:56 am

    You should totally do it too! It's really hard and feels so awkward at first, but I'm really proud of myself for doing it and I love how it turned out. :)

  • superawesomeashley Says:
    October 12th, 2011 at 3:57 am

    Haha, so what does it mean that next week's post is all about my inner critic and negative nellie? At least I'm well-rounded? :)

  • erin Says:
    October 14th, 2011 at 9:01 am

    Aww, I'm totally going to follow suit. Thanks for sharing Ashley. I loved this post.

  • erinmakesitwork Says:
    October 29th, 2011 at 7:20 pm

    You are the best. I just recently wrote a letter to myself in the past. I think I need to write to a letter to myself now…it may help keep the anxiety monsters at bay. Keep on celebrating what makes you amazing!

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