MY FAVORITE THINGS ABOUT ME!

Greetings Hamptons Mouthpiece Readers……My Friend Tara Posted on her Facebook Status Favorite things about me…see the post listed below…I loved it so much I thought that I would do a blog about this topic. We live in a very superficial world where everyday you are judged on your appearance. We are saturated with inflated images of what is considered beautiful. These photos have been photo-shopped to give us the PERFECT woman, where in reality no one looks likes this. Did you know that you really cannot believe anything you see in a photo in any magazine. Everything can be changed, the eye color, the shape of the head, nose, mouth, ears…your lips can be altered and the list is endless…If you can look in the mirror and like what you see then you should never let anyone tell you that you are not good enough.

“My favorite things about me: my mind, my body (from the top of my head to the tips of my toes), my eyes, my smile, my voice (has made me $) my shoulders-never needed pads, my breasts-nuff said, my waist, my juicy booty (yeah, that’s right), my thighs, my upper and inner knees, my ankles, and toes, my sense of humor (I find me hilarious), my ability to love/forgive/laugh. I love that I speak my truth (even when it’s hard) I also love that I am a different thinker, and I wouldn’t want it any other way. Vanessa Leggard, you’re up!”

For many years I did not like what I saw in the mirror when I looked at myself because I could not get past the realization that my imperfection did not inbody who I was. I was in an accident when I was younger and both of my feet suffered 3rd degree burns. My entire young life and young adult life I lived in fear of someone seeing my feet and the look on their puzzled faces. I would always hear men talking about women’s feet and defining who that woman was based simply on the fact that she had beautiful feet. I would see the emphasis that was placed on a women’s beauty solely based on her feet. I never thought that anyone would ever want to date me or see me as beautiful. I could not embrace someone telling me I was beautiful because I was not perfect. I indulged myself in dating many men because I was trying to fill a gap that I was craving, my self esteem was so  low. One day as I was working at Mrs’ Field’s Cookies in Bloomingdale one of my co-workers said to me…you are so pretty no one is looking at your feet….that one statement gave me the courage to take risks. I know that this is going to seem odd for you to hear but it is true…the hardest thing I have ever done in my entire life was the very first day i wore shoes with no stockings…I was opening up myself for ridicule, pointing and whispering…I was taking a risk…It was the best thing I have ever done and it gave me the courage to take other risks in my life. I now live my life where I just don’t care who talks about me, it is irrelevant, because I like me and that is all that matters. I live my life with this one statement “God has a plan for everyone” I believe my plan was to be empathetic to all imperfections and to never judge but to get to know that person for the special gifts they bring. I am no saint I still judge but never on imperfections…I might judge because you are wearing something utterly ridiculous and that can be fixed….

So Tara…here is it: My favorite things about me:

•    I love my body from my head to my toes

•    I love my feet (I am grateful that God spared them and I have the ability to walk, and that is all that matters)

•    I love my smile, my voice, my lips

•    I embrace my voluptuous breast (maybe I would like to go a size smaller)

•    I love my laugh

•    I love my ability to love

•    I love that I am a good friend…I make mistakes but I try hard to be a good friend

•   I love my daughters and my husband

•    I love my mind

•    I love my sense of humor

•    I love my ability to forgive

•    I love that I am opinionated

•    I love that I love to talk

•    I love to wear sexy dresses

•    I love that my friendship and my love come with no conditions

•    I love to help people…makes me so happy

•    I love that my family loves me unconditionally

•    i love to cook for my friends and family

There are always things that can be improved, staying in shape is for health reasons…My life is filled with so many blessing and I thank God everyday that I wake up to see another day. I thank God for my beautiful daughters and my hubby who is my ROCK and #1 FAN…So Hamptons Mouthpiece readers take the time to make a list of your favorite things about you…and I am happy that I have been able to share something personal about myself with you. LOVE YOURSELF, LIKE YOURSELF and if you are not there yet, find a way to get there, it will change your life for the better.

Special thanks to my friend Tara Sharp for this inspiration for this blog post….