For All the Girls (and the girls inside)

In my travels to high schools with my play Thin Body, Fat Mind I always ended the program with a Q&A and at the end of that session I would tell the girls that I wrote them a group letter and I would read it aloud as the ending to the event.  I still read it to myself from time to time and thought I would share it with you my dear fellow skirters.

Dear Girls,

You look in the mirror and you don’t like what you see.  You criticize, berate, and think you need to fix it.  You ignore the inside as if it doesn’t exist.

You are blind to your gifts, your beauty, and your female exquisiteness.
You are like the hungry beggar, begging for change while sitting on a pot of gold.

You can compare yourself to others and always find ways to come up short or you can become your own advocate, get on your own team and stop waging war against yourself.

I AM THE ONE THAT I WANT.

It has taken me years to realize that when I’m tearing myself down it’s because I’m starving for my own acceptance and approval.

I AM THE ONE THAT I WANT. 

It’s what I say to myself when I’m out in the world and I think I don’t look good enough.  It’s what I say to myself when I feel that I need a person to react to me a certain way; it’s what I say to myself when I feel insecure and out of my element. 

I AM THE ONE THAT I WANT.

I say it because at the core of my being I know that if I can’t feel good about who I am and what I’m bringing into the world, it doesn’t matter how good I look or how many compliments I get—if I feel ugly and worthless on the inside nothing that I can do to the outside is going to make up for that.

I AM THE ONE THAT I WANT.

I say it because it immediately connects me to a place in my self where I am perfect and lovable just as I am.  In that space I feel whole and content; I’m not focused on how I look or how I think I look--in that space I have my own approval which is what I've been seeking all along.

So my lovelies, please take my advice:  When we’ve locked ourselves out of our own hearts, only we can let ourselves back in.  Become your most trusted and adoring friend, open your heart and walk inside.  It’s there that your true beauty resides.  It's who you are and what you give out in the world.  

If you can’t see all that you are, you can’t be all that you are.
We are the ones we have been waiting for.
Feel your own love--it's all around you,

Cathy