A Year of Gratitude – July 20, 2024

I found my gratitude in seeing something as beautiful because of its flaws today, not in spite of them. You might look at this lily and see a petal that grew in a direction that it shouldn’t have. It isn’t the shape it was intended to be. It’s imperfect in many ways.

Perhaps I see myself in this bloom. I’m imperfect, as we all are. I’ve always known that, been aware of my imperfections.

I’m trying to learn to accept myself, to care less about what people might think or might say. It doesn’t come easy to me, but I’m trying. It’s not always easy to love yourself. It’s far easier to focus on the characteristics you see as flaws.

There’s satisfaction in the attempt. I’m choosing to learn new skills, to break the patterns that have become too comfortable and don’t serve me well.

I’m not there yet, but I’ll keep trying. If you find yourself in the same place, I hope that you will too. Just think of this lily, a flower that the world might see as imperfect and I see as perfectly beautiful.

This post is part of our A Year of Gratitude Series. You can find the introduction, inspiration, and entire year’s gratitude’s posts here.