14 comments

1. 
   189 days ago,
   Anne Wheatley said:

   That was beautiful! Well done!
   I am inspired to try – to say more than “I am nice, most of the time, well, except when …”

2. 
   189 days ago,
   Jen Fleming said:

   Dear Jenny,

   I love that you call yourself Jenny, that you distinguish between Jen, Jenny and Jennifer. Jenny truly suits you best, when you are sitting shining, beaming at fluffy white clouds that float by. I love that you still look for pictures in the clouds, that your favourite memory of you younger big brother is finding Robin Williams head in a thunder cloud.

   I love that you take the high road, the hardest route, simply because it’s there and it’s a challenge and no one has done it before you – at least not in quite the same fashion. I love that you’re so daring, and so committed to accomplishing your dares.

   I love how you give from your deepest reserves to those who need it, without reproach or expectation.

   I love the way you learn; quickly, energetically and passionately. Your belief in the value of knowledge and your dedication to sharing that belief and that knowledge with those lives you touch is something truly wonderful.

   I love your hands. They are strong, compassionate, powerful, healing hands. With your hands you see the things no one knows exist. With your hands you see the inner workings of a body, of a person, feel their energies and find where things have gotten backed up, and facilitate the process of breaking through.

   I love your hips – they are graceful, sexy, curvy like the amazon river and very very powerful. Try to not look at them when you sway to the music, just try. Dare ya!

   I love how caught up you get in a good story and actually refuse to finish books because the characters are so repugnant. That goes for the characters in your life, too – I appreciate your ability to weed out those who would suck you down, and uplift those who uplift you.

   I adore that you accept your past, no matter how bad or ugly, free yourself from judgements and appreciate that though things have been hard, they got you to where you are. You wouldn’t change a thing, and that’s a very special gift.

   Thanks.

3. 
   189 days ago,
   Rebecca Tracey said:

   Dear Rebecca,

   I love you. Through all the suffering, the heartache, the pain, the joy, the fear, and the adventure – I have loved you.

   I love your short, tousled hair, and how friggin adorable it looks when you actually take the time to style it. And even more so, I love that you’re so aware of how beautiful you are on the inside, that you don’t spend time trying to make up for it on the outside (leading to non-styled but still somehow just as cute hair).

   I love the callouses on your hands. They reveal not only your physical strength, but are a daily reminder of how you live your values through the sport of rock climbing. They remind you of the importance of nature, of trust, of adventure, and of pushing past your fears. They remind you of how far you have some in the past few years.

   I love how you cant keep your room tidy for the life of you! And how you can go for weeks without unpacking your bags from a trip. And I love how you never beat yourself up over your lack of desire to be a domestic goddess.

   I love your willingness to always check in with yourself on your actions. Your ability to always honor your values, even when you’re not sure where they will lead you. And your ability to forgive yourself when you sometimes forget them.

   I love how crazy you sometimes are, changing your mind a mile a minute. And I love the calm that comes when you finally just KNOW what to do.

   It takes guts to live a life of no regrets You stay true to who you are in each moment, and you have the courage to change course when you know something isn’t working.

   I love how you lead by example. How you are 100% authentic and know that this brings more bees to the honey (or however that old saying goes) than pretending to be something you’re not. (i also love your poor use of metaphors and analogies – you never were great at that kind of thing).

   I love how unapologetically YOU you are, and how you’re slowly but surely starting to believe in the value this quality brings to you and to those around you.

   I love your drive and motivation to create a life for yourself that fits true to who you are. You seek your own path, always, and your endless curiosity and passion for learning new ways of being is intoxicating.

   You’re compassionate and kind, without being a pushover.

   And you know how to say NO like the best of em.

   You’re wildly independent, yet still able to ask for help when you need it.

   You live your life with a free-spirited ease and an open mind, remembering always that it’s just life, afterall.

   Rebecca – if I wasn’t you, I’d probably want to be you.

   xx

4. 
   189 days ago,
   carrie said:

   So delicious! More, please, more! xo

5. 
   189 days ago,
   Sara said:

   Dear Sara,

   You amaze me! Some days I’m so overwhelmed with lover for you that I think I’m going to burst!

   I love your warmth. I love how you make strangers and friends alike feel comfortable. I love that you talk to strangers.

   I love how you will make an ass out of yourself if it means someone will laugh. I love how sometimes, all it takes to make your day awesome is some bright pink lipstick.

   I love your curves. They are feminine and beautiful. I love how your eyes sparkle; partly because they are so dark, partly because life makes them sparkle. I love the shape of your lips. Perfect for kissing the people that you love. And you love well! It’s amazing how supportive, encouraging and downright loyal you are. I love how you can sit in misery just as easily as you can laugh in joy with the people who mean the most to you.

   I love your deep belly laugh. I love how even though it’s not “professional”, that you cry with your clients if they say something that moves you-which is often. I love how connected you are with people. I love that other people’s pain is your pain. Not in the energy-draining, burdensome kind of way, but in the human kind of way.

   I love that you can almost always find the silver lining. I love how genuinely happy you are for other people’s success. I love that when you ask “How are you?” or “How is your family?”, you really mean it. I love that it takes you 2 hours to leave a party because you insist on saying a meaningful, personal goodbye to every single person you know.

   I love your sense of humour. You are sharp, you are quick and you make people laugh like the dickens.I love how you have a million different groups of friends and the you fit in everywhere and anywhere.

   I love that you set high standards for yourself. I love that you follow your dreams. I love your curiosity about life and people. I love your honesty. You radiate goodness. I love that the only label you define yourself or anyone else by is human being. I love how you remember all the small and big details of people’s lives. It makes them feel important. It makes them feel heard. It makes them feel like someone cares. And you do. Cause you’re awesome.

   You’re my best friend and you rock my world!

   Love,

   Sara

6. 
   189 days ago,
   Janina said:

   Wow, Carrie, thank you SO MUCH for leading us through this. Your letter is beautiful, and the experience of accepting your dare is, well, scary and wonderful! Here goes…

   Dear Janina,

   I love that people, animals, and sometimes even buildings and plants, spill their secrets to you because they know you really listen and really are interested in knowing them on an essential level. And that you keep their confidences.

   I love that you have a strong frame like a tiger or a Neanderthal woman, wide shoulders and a big round butt, and hands that move deftly. I love that for you making things is prayer and intention made real in the world.

   I love that you have a non-generic face that echoes your European ancestors.

   I love that you blurt shit out without much editing. I love that you provide the tart twist or dash of bitter flavor that balances all that sweetness. I love that you have hope and optimism, and bouncy Tigger energy even when others are exhausted, or ready to give up, or are too uptight and “could never”…. Your big mouth and your willingness to play anywhere gives everyone permission to be more free! Have more fun! Have more truth!

   I love that you had to consciously figure out how to understand emotional communication and body language in other humans. And that you came to it later than most, and are still learning how to talk directly from your wild untamed heart.

   I love that you are an autodidact, and talk too much and get overexcited when you’re learning something new. I love that you investigate deeply for the sheer pleasure of learning and exploration.

   I love that you fought really hard to be healthy, that you experienced chronic pain at one time, and you didn’t let anyone rob you of your opportunity and faith, and you healed yourself and let others help you to heal.

   I love that you can’t do it alone and others show up at the perfect time in the perfect way to help you out.

   I love that you’re magically stronger, braver, and more comfortable whenever you’re in a cave. It’s a strange and wondrous power to be able to take the lead underground and in the dark, and to laugh, encourage, and guide when everyone else is scared.

   I love that you have no interest in wrongful dichotomies, gender wars, or racist, sexist, or classist bullshit.

   I love that you have auditioned and failed miserably, and soared incredibly, and you kept doing it over and over. You didn’t let your previous failures and triumphs get in the way of trying anew one more time.

7. 
   188 days ago,
   Asha said:

   Dear Asha,

   I love how your spirit wholeheartedly believes in magic. That all things are possible. I love that you have always had an incredible amount of faith that you are healing and have trusted that your path has always been the right one, for you.

   I love your trustworthy heart that gives people the benefit of the doubt, loves abundantly and forgives easily. Even when someone has hurt you, you ache to forgive them so that your relationship can be mended, the sacredness preserved.

   I love how you sing in the car, in the shower, in the rain…pretty much everywhere you can, because you are grateful that you *have* a voice to use.

   You are a gentle, sensitive being and I love that tears spring forward from your eyes when your heart is touched, daily, in your work.

   I love how when you watch romantic movies, those tears pour down your face because you believe that deep soul mate love is possible.

   I love your long fingers, that used to play the most romantic songs on the piano and are now healing from their suffering. They will play again. This, I know, for your beautiful hands are capable of so much.

   Your long legs look great in a skirt and I love that you always choose sexy heels over flats, even though you may be the tallest in the room.
   I also love that cute and crazy look you make when you look in the mirror after you are all ready to go out. A head tilt + a pout means that you are ready to work it.

   Your smile is bright and comes right from your heart. Even though the smiles lines are growing, I love each and every one of them on your sacred face as they show the amount of joy that fills your life. I love your high cheekbones and your skin that turns the colour of milk chocolate in the sun as these traits are linked to your rich ancestry, one that inspires you to walk in right relation with Mother Earth and all of her inhabitants.

   Your adoration for children is beautiful and flows from your being effortlessly. I love how you have fallen madly and deeply in love with the child you are creating and constantly find wonderment in the miracle of it all.

   I love how you feel most safe in front of a crowd when your eyes are closed, like you are in your own little world, even though there are many people listening to your voice. I adore how you believe in fairies, unicorns and the magical essence of the universe. When people make fun of you, I love how this never hurts your heart as you feel that somehow, your child-like spirit has opened up a door for them.

   I love how you admire your domestically gifted friends and strive to be like them when things fall on top of your head as your open your cupboards or you don’t fully cook the pasta. When you don’t quite measure up, I love how you just giggle and let it go, honouring the things that you *are* good at.

   When you are asleep, I love how you dream wildly, talk and act like a crazy woman.

   Asha, I love you to the moon and back and I thank you for finally loving yourself enough to write this letter.

   Forever,
   xoxo

8. 
   187 days ago,
   Bettina Goodwin said:

   Dear Bettina,

   I love the way you sing whenever you think you’re alone – as if you were on stage at the ACC.

   I love how passionate you get about all your creative outlets, especially the sweetness the comes from making things with love. I love that you are so giving and loving when you share the things you make with others.

   I love your big fat Italian hair, that looks ten times bigger than it is when it dries on it’s own than when you straighten and tame it to a sleek finish. I love looking into those deep brown eyes and seeing your compassion, love, kindness and sensitivity to other’s pain.

   I love that you still believe in Santa Claus, the tooth fairy. I love listening to you when you go out into the garden on a sunny summer day and talk to the fairies.

   I love how comfortable it is to be around you, how people always notice this and are attracted to your peaceful energy. How your voice can lull people into that same peace as you speak to them.

   I love your laugh and how you use it often and at the silliest things, letting your inner child come out and play as often as possible.

   I love how easy it is for you to just be who you are and know that it’s okay. I love how you listen with your heart and not your head.

   I love your funny Roman nose and how it wrinkles when you smile that smile that says you know a thousand jokes that you are just aching to tell.

   I love that you can’t pass a hat shop without going in and trying on every hat in the store, or that a toy shop fills you with joy.

   I love how you find it so easy to just pick up and do something you’ve never done before without a thought that you might not be able to do it.

   I love that you feel just as comfortable in a beautiful gown or dress as you do in a pair of painter pants with a brush in your hand.

   I love that you can be a tomboy one minute and a girlie girl the next and how that helps you to fit in with whoever you are with.

   I love your sense of adventure, the way you read Italian just because you love how it sounds even if you don’t know what it means.

   I like that you have an Anne of Green Gables paper doll set hidden in your bedroom nightstand and you occasionally pull it out and play with it.
   I like that you cringe at the thought of watching a violent movie and are incensed when you hear of anyone being harmed or bullied.

   I love that your heart is big and your judgment small. That your love is given full on, without boundaries, no matter what. And how that makes me want to love you even more.

   I love you so much it aches sometimes because I think you don’t really know it deep down.

   But never forget dear soul, that I love you deeply, truly and always.

9. 
   187 days ago,
   Jeffrey said:

   (discretion advised: may show signs of leo pride)
   Dear Jeffrey,
   I love that you shamelessly leave your hair uncombed – messy & wild, for your impressive mane reveals your Leo heart and inner strength. But never letting it cover your eyes, because those eyes say everything.

   I love your connection to Isvara in spiritual devotion, faith, and motivation. It also thrills me the way you get into the ‘zone’ so fast – a state of total, utter presence.

   I love how you deeply FEEL and understand all music at a soul level, whether it is jazz, techno, Mozart, or Javanese gamelan, as if it was already a part of you.

   I love how you plunge with zest into what inspires you – whether it is learning a different language, style of music, cooking a cuisine or exploring places, you always give and do 100% in all ventures.

   I love how you only once in life ever owned a TV – for 1 terrible week in 2002.

   I love how you didn’t impulse buy the sensual amazing car you wanted this summer that made you feel back in Europe, so you can instead prioritize going to Tibet next year.

   I love how your tears helplessly flow whenever you hear the drone of a tamboura or anything representing ‘om’, because in it you feel the vibration of the whole universe.

   I love how you find the courage to continually grow and make choices, successes, and evolution despite opposition in life, time and time again – whether it was healing yourself physically to get back into a great career that people had said was over, or dropping everything and moving continents, penniless, to start a new life.

   I love how you enjoy fine things in life, such as gourmet food and of course a real pulled espresso, like the biggest snob and hedonist the world has ever seen yet somehow you actually keep a healthy sense of detachment to those same things. How do you do that???

   I love your respect and your smile for everything that is alive – all living things – and thus cutting back eating meat even though Babcia worries you’ll be too skinny to be a real slav. I love how as a small child, you asked her to drive you back to that place with the enormous, awe-inspiring, towering size statues of saints and holy people. After much confusion you both realized this was not a place but a recurring dream you’d had; she cried that you were ‘blessed’.

   I love your paradoxes and contrasts – dancing salsa all night long, yet reading thick books. Getting energy from big city life, yet needing solitude in the energy of nature. I love your crazy sense of humour, and ability to be so real. I love your Brahmacharya integrity, even when it’s not so easy…

   I love that you dare to be the man YOU are, not anyone else. Sensitive. I love your Euro style, being physically built like a slender Indian yogi (no wonder), with soft pianist hands, listening carefully, wanting to resist violence rather than contribute to it. Motivating by love, rather than trying to invoke fear. Those who knew your inspiring, saintly monk/hermit friend called him a ‘killer man’, and he would probably say the same about you.
   Namaste, Jeffrey.

10. 
    154 days ago,
    Vivienne Barclay said:

    How amazing is this?

    I’ve just been working on self-love with my coach and quieting the voice of my inner-critic to a dull roar.

    “Get back in your box!” I tell her when she starts taking over – and I LOVE that I put her straight.

    My coach told me I had to stand and look at myself in the mirror and tell myself, “I LOVE YOU” on a daily basis.

    “Daily?” I said, incredulous.

    “Yep, 3 times a day at least” he responded.

    I groaned. But tried it anyway – and it was decidedly uncomfortable the first day. But the next day and the day after that and the ones that followed, I was surprised at how easy it was to do, say and even, shock – horror, mean.

    I love that I don’t look my age and people are genuinely shocked when I tell them I’m 46.

    “That’s so vain!”
    (Get back in your box!)

    I love that I have a tenacity so tenacious that despite a life of ups and downs and an easily bruised heart, I still come back stonger than ever, wanting what I want and willing to do what it takes to get it, even if that includes making myself look a numpty!

    I love that I fall in love so easily with sweet smiles and warm and generous hearts and lips; that I do the choosing but at the same time am scared to make the moves.

    It’s torture, but delicious all the same.

    I love that I’ve rediscovered singing and dancing, turning the music up REALLY loud and singing at the top of my voice, raising my neighbours’ eyebrows.

    I love that I move on when people say no and act when they say yes.

    I love my courage, my willingness to reach out and how much disdain I have for the word “impossible.”

    I love the fact I apparently have “Hutzpah” – even though I didn’t know what it was and I had to look it up! I was dismayed to read “unbelievable gall” though and much preferred “cheeky” or even better – “cojones” – a word I do understand!

    (Strange that courage and resilience should be described in terms of those fragile and delicate objects when being women means we come equipped with something able to withstand soooooooo much more!)

    Yes, I’m pretty much loving all of who I am and all of this loving has meant that I’ve rediscovered my giggle and – to me – that’s the most wonderful loving gift of all.

    Viv x

11. 
    150 days ago,
    Liz said:

    I love all that you are Elizabeth. All that you have been. And all that you are becoming.

    Daughter, lover, friend, partner, colleague, sister, aunty, friend, girl, woman. Liz, Lizzy, Elizabeth. I love how you are discovering who you are and what you want in your world.

    How instead of running errands, you are tucked up in your favourite blue and gold armchair listening to the chattering chorus of birds as you write yourself a love letter.

    I love how you are a sieve of information and emotion. It’s not the easiest way to be, but I love how you don’t keep secrets, how you see them as holding power and part of yourself. I love how open and honest you are, even when it scares and worries those around you. I love that you give so much of yourself, even when you get nothing in return, you keep giving.

    I love how you can take charge, often without meaning to. How you can make phone calls, deal with suppliers, manage budgets, speak in public off the cuff and all those ‘grown-up’ things that others struggle with. You’re a take charge, can-do, no problem, make it happen kinda girl. I love how your friends look to you when they need someone on their side, in their corner.

    I love how you have a childlike awe and wonder. Still. Even after all the heart ache and pain, you still look at the world with such amazement for all its wonder and beauty. And how you love to stomp in puddles, dance in the rain or giraffe dance in the kitchen just because.

    I love how you love animals and how they love you in return. How easily you can befriend the scared and shy without trying.
    I love that you still love horses. Despite the injuries. And that you got up and back on the other day and didn’t give up, even though fear was telling you too. I love that you didn’t blame Sam for the rodeo display and looked beyond the behaviour to the cause. I love that you can do that – see beyond the obvious.

    I love how practical you are.
    How you can drive a SUV, tow a trailer, drive a truck, a quad bike, a tractor and even a dingo! I love how you’re willing to get your hands dirty and try most things. How people you work with don’t recongise the country girl, and people you ride with don’t recongnise the business woman. I love you look in skirts and how you suit dresses. I love your curves. They are womanly, soft and forgiving. I love your long, sexy legs. The muscles you have built up from yoga. The sweep of your neck, your collarbone, your delicate wrists. I love the colour of your hair and how no one believes you don’t colour it. I love your sun kisses.

    I love how you have been broken mentally and physically and how you’ve come through it and with a smile on your face. How you view nothing as a mistake, just as a learning curve.

    I love how generous you are with you laughter. And tears.

    I love how you can’t survive without books.

    I love the vast knowledge you have amassed in your 31 years and how it astounds you what you know. And how your beliefs and views are ever expanding and widening. How you are willing to look beyond and take on all views and make your own mind up. I love your quest for knowledge and learning new things.

    I love the cookies you make with such love. And all the other baking.

    I love how your home is filled with colour, plants, books, flowers and art.

    I love your kindness. That you genuinely ask how someone is, you’ll stop to lend a hand, you’ll go out of your way to help someone who needs it . I love how forgiving you are.

    I love so much about you. I love that you took the time to write this letter.

    For all that you are, and so much more, I love you.

    Liz
    x

12. 
    145 days ago,
    5 Ways to Spend New Year’s If You’re A Hater | The Uncaged Life said:

    [...] you want to change, take some time to pimp yourself out to, well… yourself. Write yourself a love letter. A real, ooeygooey, sappy, funny, honest to goodness love letter. The hard part? You have to mean [...]

13. 
    94 days ago,
    I Love Me, Who Do You Love? | The Uncaged Life said:

    [...] by Carrie over at Pink Elephant when she posted this a while back, I challenge you to write a love letter to yourself, and post it right here in the [...]

14. 
    39 days ago,
    Melody said:

    ooohhh, dare I write a letter to myself? It feels a bit scary to do it publicly, so that means I’ll just do it.

    Dear Melody,

    I love the way you find the good in seemingly bad situations, like yesterday, when you and your girls got stranded on the boat in the middle of a bayou because you wanted to spend family time together with your husband…doing something he LOVES.

    I love the way you are addicted to the outdoors, can hardly breathe without spending time outside every day, even if it means getting drenched by the rain.

    I love the way you go on strike when the house is a total disaster, but still find a way to restore order with patience and ease. And better yet, how you teach your clients to let go of items that aren’t part of their future selves…organization and beauty and simplicity is an amazing way to think clearly, focus, be naturally productive, and still have plenty of time to relax, rejuvenate and play. You know this to your core.

    I love the way you don’t schedule anything in the early morning because you love snuggling deep into the blankets to finish a dream. And then, when you do open your beautiful blue eyes and stretch your body, you take your time warming up to the day. And then, it’s ON! I know you sometimes feel guilty for not seeing your children off to school or getting up to help your husband figure out something when he’s panicking to get out the door. If you weren’t so fiercely independent, then they probably wouldn’t learn to be independent. Independence is a lovely, admirable trait that many do not have.

    I love that you traded in your suits for jeans and comfy pants…never looking back. You are a beautiful creature who loves comfort.

    You are such a strong spirit who speaks louder with actions than words. And its okay if you stop doing the action part for your clients…just like you did with your family because if they truly want to improve their skills, then others can’t always do it for them.

    It’s so amazing how attracted you are to those who laugh. They are the people who reminded you, so many years ago, not to take life so seriously and to have a lot of fun just being you.

    Melody, you are such an amazing creature. Always follow your heart, even when logic tells you something different. It won’t steer you wrong. Yes, plant all those wildflowers in your fields, ask your husband to make you a trail through them, so you can put on your long flowy skirt and run through them.

    Most of all, I love how you’ve learned not to worry and be at peace with whatever is going on in your world. Happiness is what will keep you moving forward and loving life….loving yourself even more.

    Now, I know you need to get to the grocery shopping…have a ton of fun and don’t forget the scrubbing bubbles this time!

    Sweet Melody…let’s chat again soon. You’re such great company…even if you don’t say a word.

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