I had lunch today with some of my favorite women. Of course there was some tasty food, and some fabulous conversation. And cupcakes. There were crazy delicious cupcakes, so that alone is worth writing about.

But that’s not entirely my purpose. I looked around our table. We are all different sizes, shapes, skin tones. We all practice yoga. We all eat mostly healthy. We cook more than we eat out. We also occasionally make bad choices, but instead of berating ourselves, we just enjoy and move on. None of us look like the cover of Yoga Journal. And we don’t care to.

As the conversation continued, I began to wonder. We were sitting around having this healthy, sane, healing discussion about how we have to choose every day to love ourselves and show compassion. I wondered how many people have conversations like this, only instead of choosing self-love and acceptance, they choose to ignore the beauty that exists? They choose to look in the mirror and see flaws instead of blessings.

It’s been a long time since I waged war on myself that way. I have the scars to prove it: stretch marks in some places, over-use injuries waiting to flare up in others. Those are only the surface marks. The ones left in my head, in my heart…they’ve healed. Mostly.

There are still some days when I have potential to back slide. There are some days when I want to look around and compare. But I’ve learned after YEARS (and years and years) of practice, that I have it pretty good. I actually have it great.

When I look in the mirror I see a woman who has weathered her share of storms. I see freckles and remember sunny days playing outside with my bother in the summer many moons ago. I see lines around my eyes and mouth from laughing more than crying. I see legs and feet that are sturdy and strong. They carry me all over this beautiful creation. I see arms that can hold this body upside down, lug kayaks and paddleboards to the water, set up a tent, or climb up the side of a mountain.

Did you look in your mirror today? Go do that now if you haven’t. Maybe the view’s changed…