Jan 17


A challenge

by Terry 17 January 2007


Sage at Persephone’s Box tackles an interesting topic today.

Zuzu has an assignment for us:

Your mission: list at least five things you love about your body and yourself. Five is the floor; you can always do more. And no self-deprecation! No offsetting a compliment with a dig.

She lists her teeth, her organizational skills, her skin, and her comfort with getting lost, among others. I admire her her ability to be so comfortable with herself.

What a healthy exercise! As I’ve been thinking about it, even if I stretch it from love to “can tolerate,” I’m hard pressed to come up with a single thing, let alone 5. I’m uncomfortable even thinking about it. Part of it is that I was taught that vanity was a huge sin and that being “uppity” was the worst thing a woman could be, but most of it is that I’m always comparing myself against an ideal I can’t meet. That failure colors how I see myself.

Can you list 5 things you love about yourself without squirming?

Tagged:

5 Comments

5 Responses to “A challenge”

  1. Lynn Raye Harris on January 18th, 2007 9:25 am

    I can do it. My intellect, my hair, my breasts, my compassionate nature, my ability to forgive. I can also name five things I don’t like, ha!

    I think it’s important, and I learned this a while back which is why I can do it so easily, to love yourself. I was feeling unhappy and depressed and thinking I didn’t like myself very much at one point in my life. And then something happened that taught me I should be grateful for who I am. I’ve never looked back since.

    I am grateful for who I am. I’m a work in progress, I have things that could be better, I need to learn more, but I love ME.

    I think you should do this, Terry. I think you CAN do this. Vanity is a sin, but vanity is different than loving yourself. Our lives are a gift from God. I don’t think God minds us appreciating that fact and loving ourselves. I think it makes Him/Her happy when we love who we are.

    I’ll start you off: I love your intellect, I love the way you care about people less advantaged than yourself, I love your html skills, I love your ability to organize web content into something readable and entertaining, and I love that you’ve known me for many years and encouraged me so much when I was writing my first book. I finished that book because you (and the trollz) were waiting to read it. :)

    See, it’s easy. :)  (Quote)

  2. Terry on January 18th, 2007 3:10 pm

    How wonderful! It makes me smile to know you’re as kind to yourself as you are to others. You’re an inspiration.

    I really wasn’t fishing for compliments, Lynn, but thank you. You made me feel great. I’m going to ponder on this a bit and try to write a list tomorrow. This is going to be a huge step for me.  (Quote)

  3. Bluegrass Poet on January 18th, 2007 4:59 pm

    Terry — I love your compassionate smile and your eyes with their sweet expression, your hips which dance so fluidly, your feet, which look so lovely in shoes, and your heart, which is as big as the Pacific Ocean.

    For myself — I love my hair which, though fine and straight, is also kitten soft and not gray; my eyes which twinkle and which still see the world (and books) pretty well, my snooty nose, my hands, which have some skill though I am not “good” with them, and my voice, with which I do read well.  (Quote)

  4. Terry on January 18th, 2007 6:46 pm

    I love your list for yourself, Poet and I second every one of them. You’re one of the most beautiful people I know, inside and out. And your list for me is a great kindness, if unnecessary. Thank you.  (Quote)

  5. Lynn Raye Harris on January 19th, 2007 8:35 am

    I never for a moment thought you were fishing for compliments! :) I believe you really are a modest person and don’t want to brag, which is what coming up with this list sort of feels like. :) I look forward to reading your list (which is what I’m doing next).  (Quote)

Leave a Reply

Terry likes gravitars to personalize comments. Don't have one? Make one at gravatar.com!