A new friend, Anne, and a new question:

If you could give the world one piece of advice, what would it be?

Hmmm... this is actually a hard question for me to answer. I usually don't consider myself worthy of handing out advice, there is still too much I have to learn first. However, there are a few things that I know a little something about. First, a few small pieces of advice:

~You catch more flies with honey than with vinegar. Kindness actually does count for something.

~Don't sweat the small stuff. If you spend all of your time worrying about changing the little things, you miss out on the opportunity to experience the big things.

~You have the family you are born with and the family you build. Hopefully they fit well together.

~If it's a beautiful day outside don't spend it indoors. No beautiful day is worth wasting.

~Learn to laugh at yourself.

~Everyone deserves at least one pedicure in their life.

~Apologize freely.

~Love openly. This can be a life-changing experience.

But most important of all: Love yourself.

It took me a long time to figure that out. I've spent the majority of my 25 years on this earth learning to love myself for who I am. For a long time I wished I was someone else. I wished that I had a different body. I wished that I had someone else's social skills. I wished for another person's sense of humor. I wished for somebody else's hair, wardrobe, you-name-it.

It wasn't until I grew up a little bit that I learned that all of the things I wanted from somebody else were the things that made me Me. When Curious George and I first started dating I really struggled with feeling like he was dating me because he felt like he had to, not because he wanted to. Because we'd been close friends for several months, and we lived in the same student ward, I'd seen the girls he'd been dating. He'd take a girl out on a date, and after he'd dropped her off at home he'd call me to hash over the date. It wasn't until we went to do a temple session together (and ended up doing sealings) that he figured it all out. Anyway, the point of this story is this: it wasn't until I was secure in our relationship that I figured out that he'd married me because I was Me. He loved my blue eyes, my sarcasm, and my little (big) redneck streak. He loved that I wasn't perfect. He loved me.

So, through years of poor self esteem, yo-yo weight loss and gain, self-deprication, and a general feeling of worthlessness, I finally learned that I am who I am. I am worthy of my Heavenly Father's love just as much as the next person. I am worthy of deep and lasting friendships. I am worthy of a happy and fulfilling marriage. I am worthy of love.

I think this sentiment from Buddha sums it up nicely:

"You, yourself, as much as anybody in the entire universe, deserve your love and affection."

Because after all, all you need is Love.