The energy of May was simple...Wear the dressAs the weather gets warmer, I find myself thinking more about my body. And if I'm being honest, I've spent most of my life finding things to criticize about it. The funny thing is, I can remember being incredibly hard on myself when I was younger, fitter, and looked completely different than I do now. Which makes me wonder...
When exactly was I supposed to arrive at the magical moment where I felt perfect enough to enjoy the dress? The answer, of course, is never. There will always be something. A little belly pooch. A little arm jiggle. A little booty jiggle. A wrinkle. A gray hair. A thing you wish was smaller, bigger, tighter, smoother, different.
And if we wait until all of that disappears before we allow ourselves to wear the dress, take the trip, be in the photo, or enjoy the summer, we'll spend our whole lives waiting. One of my favorite lines from Moira Rose is:
"Take a thousand naked pictures of yourself now. You may currently think, 'Oh, I'm too spooky.' Or, 'Nobody wants to see these tiny boobies.' But believe me: one day you will look at those photos with much kinder eyes and say, 'Dear God, I was a beautiful thing.'"
And she's right. Your future self is going to look back at photos from this summer and think, Damn. I was hot. Not perfect. Not flawless. Not ten pounds lighter. Just beautifully, gloriously alive. So wear the dress. Wear the swimsuit. Order the dessert. Drink the wine. Take the photo. Laugh loudly. Enjoy every beautiful thing summer has to offer without guilt and with immense gratitude.
Life is short, babe.
Wear the dress.
