“Our Imperfections are What Make Us Perfect.”

This was me on the left today, dressed up for our 3 yr wedding anniversary. This was also me today on the right.
It has taken me over a decade to finally embrace myself for who I am. I struggle to think back on a time where I actually loved, or even liked my body. Occasionally I would find myself dolled up and liking who I was, but as soon as the make up and nice clothes were removed, so was my self confidence- I was back to hating what I was.
Now some people may look at this and tell me I need to lose weight, I need to diet and to that I say ? because I know I need to lose weight and become healthy. I know I can barely run around with my kids, and that’s a truth I live with every day.
This post is about something far beyond weight loss- it’s about embracing who you are, as you are. Even before I had kids I had love handles, I had fat thighs and a belly, and after kids the belly got saggier, my boobs lost their perkiness. I’m not complaining about my boobs, I have both of them and I’m very lucky, some people lose their breasts to cancer- did you ever think about that when you wish you could change your boobs?  I know I never did in the past. They have been a lifeline of nutrition and comfort for my son over the past 17 months and again that is something some people don’t have the privilege of experiencing.
My belly has the most awesome stretch marks, mostly from carrying 2 children for a total of 76 weeks and 6 days (separately of course!) But partly because of my weight fluctuating over the years.
It has been an ongoing battle, that honestly I never thought would ever end but here I sit, sharing this with you now.
I love who I am, and who I’m not.
I love the dimples every where they shouldn’t be. I love the reminders that my body carried life. I love every imperfection and that’s what makes me feel perfect.
Even if to you I look like a fat slob that is using this as an excuse to be lazy, I’m not, and if you think that your not getting the message I’m sending.

Here’s a little something – I considered gastric band surgery (I think that is the proper term) because I hated my body and I couldn’t stick to diet and exercise, but the most beautiful lady Taryn Brumfitt, you might know her from her movie Embrace, made me stop and realise- what kind of example would I be setting for my daughter?
As she said and I could relate, I will be bringing my daughter up to love her body no matter what people say, and no matter what the ‘norm’ might be. So what example would I be setting if I went and changed mine because I couldn’t accept who I am?
I grew up reading magazines that told me I had to be skinny to be beautiful, I had to have flawless skin and perfect hair to be accepted, and for years I believed it. I saw the girls at school with their fancy hair and beautiful thin bodies, and I envied them. I wanted to be everything they were, which was everything I wasn’t. All throughout school I was bullied for looking scummy, for being poorer than everyone else and not having the trendy stuff, not having colours in my hair – I don’t want this for my daughter.
I want her to be able to hold her head high and walk past them without even caring. I want her to know she is perfect the way she is. And it’s only now that I see for me to teach her that, I have to live it out myself. I have to stop worrying that people care about how I dress or how fat I am, because I know I am so much more than what they see- I am embracing the beautiful I am.
We need to embrace who we are, wrinkles, cellulite, scars, stretch marks, every imperfection- and realise our imperfections are individual and that in itself, is what makes us perfect. ❤ ❤
#embrace #lovetheskinyourin #beautiful

You can read more from Madeline Davey on her blog Everyday Mumma – Behind The Filter or head over to her Facebook page.