I’ve been feeling really beautiful lately. Sure, I’ve been skinnier, had less stretch marks that’s for sure, spent more time on my appearance and more money at Sephora, paid more for a haircut, spent less time in leggings and sweatpants, had a flatter stomach, had smaller love handles, shaved my legs more often, gotten more manicures and less blemishes. But, none of that matters. I’m realizing that I probably don’t look any more beautiful than before to the naked eye (One could argue from a superficial standpoint or when looking through the media’s critical gaze that I’m even less so), but something has changed inside of me. When I look in the mirror, I don’t dwell on this laundry list of “used tos”, “wish I didn’ts”, or “wish I dids”. I just see me. In this very moment. And, for maybe the first time since I was a child, I see beauty. Unapologetically.