We often go to our mirrors in order to correct something about ourselves. We pass by and assess our waistlines, asses, packages, and jawlines. We make sure that our teeth are clean, and that every hair is in its right place. Though we desperately want to be chosen, we fail to choose ourselves. What if we peered into our own reflections as if they were souls seeking contact–as we are? In our eyes, we behold the pain we’ve accumulated along the way to our adult bodies as well as our longings to be seen.

Stand in front of a mirror and ask yourself: “Am I willing to love myself exactly as I am?” And this question is potent because our lack of love is not due to love’s scarcity but to our own resistance to it.