I embrace my imperfections and love who I am.

Summer has been good to me, y’all and Cancun, Mexico owes me nothing. 

Tomorrow is the last day of summer, and I can honestly say this summer was one of the best summers I’ve ever had. 

Sure, I’ve enjoyed feeling the sand between my toes at the beach, immersing myself in the aqua blue water, the gentle breeze blowing through my hair, and the relaxing sounds of waves at night soothing me off to sleep. 

But, there were some things I was reminded of in Mexico while my husband and I celebrated our anniversary. (Traveling to Mexico and staying at Haven Riviera Resort was one of our goals this year.)

Related reading: 5 Essentials for Goal Setting

I was reminded to embrace all of my imperfections, and love myself as I am — the way God created me to be. And in addition to that, take time out of my busy schedule to rejuvenate myself more. Self-care is not selfish. It’s necessary. 

Through the years, I’ve been hard on myself, and I haven’t given myself much grace relating to body positivity. And after I had my daughter, I wasn’t fully prepared for how long it would take my body to return to its “natural state.” Genetically, I’m a defined girl, and you can’t alter genetics. Trust me, I’ve tried. 

While I was basking in the beach life, I decided to strut around in my black swimsuit wearing my floppy black & white hat, and oversized sunglasses. My inner Audrey Hepburn shinned through. I felt confident. I felt beautiful. To my surprise, I embraced my thick thighs. I thought to myself, “Girl, your insecurities have been telling you lies!” I made a choice that day to love me, all of me. I needed that time to refocus my mindset of comparing myself because the skin I’m in is beautiful.

I focused on the simple things, the things that mattered, the things that bring so much joy and purpose to my life. I fell in love with my husband all over again. I dangled my legs in a pool for hours while sipping on a refreshing pina colada. I ate slowly and savored every bite of mouth-watering food as it pleased my palate. I had meaningful conversations with people I’ve never met. I danced into the wee hours of the morning with my husband and laughed until my face hurt. We walked along the ocean shore a night — with our hands interlocked — listening and watching the water caress the shore.  

Every morning we took a dip in our private swim-out pool with no sense of urgency. We took strolls down memory lane and had deep conversations. Time flowed freely, and we flowed with it. 

I took time to reflect on what I want out of life, who I want to be. I want to be me, but a better version of me. I will continue to thrive and be the best wife, mom, writer, blogger, and entrepreneur that I can be because years from now, I want to reflect back and say I did it!

This beautiful get-a-way gave me a new perspective on life — and showed me how to love and appreciate myself more every day because life is worth living. I hope that you find something meaningful in your life that will pave the way to a clear path of loving, appreciating, and embracing yourself, too. 

Girl, you are enough!