Day 46: In my bathroom.
I stood in front of the bathroom mirror, all the beautiful trappings scattered about on the counter below me. There I was in flannels and yesterday’s curls, longing for perhaps the one more hour of sleep that might turn back the hours just a bit and make me feel a little more becoming. I looked down at the coffee cup given to me by my kind prince, then back at the mirror. I spoke the words, with the wake-up call of soap still on my face.
I am lovely.
And I thought of you, sweet ones. Most of the time Shoot like a Girl is about the story behind the photos I take. But this time it’s about the story that looks back at you in the bathroom mirror. The story that exists before the you that greets the world with things all put together. This is about the story that counts. This is what matters.
You are lovely.
You, with the dark circles because life hasn’t allowed much sleep. You, with hours in a day that never align with the hours that you need. You, with the too much and too little and too many questions about why things are as they are. You, with the baggage and the blemishes and the big dreams and the why should I try. You, with the not enough years lived and not enough years left. You, with the scars. You, with the past. You, right now. Today. You on your best day. And you at your worst. You in all your reality.
You are lovely.
My darling, you are lovely in every way. ~Song of Solomon 4:7
You are a most compelling story, a most beautiful story. You are a drama, a comedy, a romance, a thriller. You are chapter upon chapter of life. Oh life. Even at its hardest, it’s a most miraculous life. You are a miracle of such magnitude.
Please don’t forget that. Please don’t let the noise of this world deafen you to the still small voice that calls you Beloved, that calls you beautiful, that calls you hand-crafted and uniquely designed.
Say it again. Say it one more time. Look at yourself in that mirror and say it with me.
I am lovely.
Yes, you are.
*****
Shoot like a Girl began as part of the #31days project. You can learn more about the “why” of my story and see all my daily posts here. I’d love to stay in touch with you – be sure to subscribe to my blog and visit my writer’s page to get updates on stories and special projects, including a collaborative that will publish this spring and a book about women who are fighting for change and beauty. Thank you for your encouragement!