That\u2019s my girl.<\/p>\n
There\u2019s something about winning, and competition, that\u00a0lights a fire\u00a0in us. \u00a0We get to prove how strong we are.\u00a0 And I don\u2019t know what it is, but you can ask any girl anywhere, and I\u2019m pretty sure she\u2019ll tell you that no matter how old we get, there is something really awesome about beating a boy.\u00a0 It\u2019s an innate thing we\u2019re born with. \u00a0Men are built to be faster than we are, it\u2019s scientific fact.\u00a0 But since we have been labeled the \u201cweaker sex\u201d, it feels pretty darn good to prove that sometimes, we are stronger than you guys. That\u2019s why I love the running shirt that I bought at some race Expo somewhere, that reads\u2026Yeah, I run like a girl, try to keep up.<\/p>\n
I\u2019ve been hurt by a fair amount of boys in my life.\u00a0 Including, but not limited to, that jerk football player in high school, who shall remain nameless, that made fun of me for not being as pretty as Ellen Halverson.\u00a0 Whether intentional or not, some hurts are more significant than others. \u00a0I\u2019ve had some pretty extreme hurts that are WAY more significant that what Mr. Football said to me as I stood there in my cheerleading outfit feeling deflated that fall afternoon in 1992. But, he had no way of knowing that what he said to me grew a seed of doubt that had already been planted in my mind at a young age \u2013 a belief that I was unlovable, unworthy, forgettable. \u00a0So, anyway, maybe that need to prove how strong I am, especially in the face of the opposite sex, is a self-preservation thing.\u00a0 But the reality is, no matter how hard I try to prove myself as some fearless, badass chick, that\u2019s all just exterior.\u00a0 Inside, I\u2019m just a girl with a bruised heart, who tries to pick up the pieces and keep on going.\u00a0 But, really, that pretty much just makes me like everybody else, doesn\u2019t it?<\/p>\n
Ok, so I\u2019m not as pretty as Ellen, I\u2019ll be the first to admit the girl has always been gorgeous.\u00a0 But I\u2019m me.\u00a0 And I\u2019ll create beautiful in my own way.\u00a0 I\u2019ve got a big heart, with a huge capacity to love, despite all the trauma my heart has been through\u2026that\u2019s beautiful.\u00a0 (I think the fact that I\u2019m surrounded by so many Ahhhhh-mazing friends and family is proof of that.) I have a lot of faults; like, I bite my nails and I\u2019m a terrible driver.\u00a0 But I have a lot of good qualities too, like I accept responsibility for my mistakes and I possess a determination to always improve.\u00a0 I\u2019m never going to be perfect, but I\u2019m also never going to stop challenging myself to do better. \u00a0I\u2019m a fighter\u2026that\u2019s beautiful. \u00a0I talk too loud and I can admittedly be inappropriate sometimes but I\u2019m honest and I\u2019m genuine.\u00a0 And I won\u2019t pretend to be something I\u2019m not\u2026that\u2019s beautiful.\u00a0 Most importantly, I love to smile and I love to make other people smile. There is nothing better than seeing the reflection of my own smile on the faces of my children.\u00a0 I think there is a quote about a smiling girl being a beautiful girl, or something like that.\u00a0 So, there ya go.\u00a0\u00a0 I\u2019ll speak truth through the madness and I\u2019ll smile through my tears, and even though I may have puffy eyes and mascara stains on my face, I\u2019m going to teach my daughter that she is loveable, worthy and unforgettable. \u00a0I\u2019m going to teach her that just being who she is, is enough. \u00a0I\u2019m going to teach her what true beauty looks like.\u00a0 Beauty isn\u2019t about being the skinniest or having perfect hair, it\u2019s about knowing who I am, and being happy in that. \u00a0Running makes me confident; confidence is beautiful.\u00a0 Beauty isn\u2019t about how other people see you, but rather, how you see yourself. Beauty is about finding strength from within to combat the forces against us.\u00a0 Beauty is about learning from our pain and celebrating our victories\u2026especially if those victories include beating a boy.\u00a0 \ud83d\ude09<\/p>\n
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