Bora Bora and Body Love

I am just back from leading a week long retreat in Bora Bora!

If we are friends on social media -- yes it really was as good as it looked.

Bora Bora is like the most beautiful place on earth.

We couldn’t gush enough over the jaw dropping beauty, we couldn’t take enough pictures.

I will say --  sometimes it rains there. Sometimes the current in the lagoon picks up and the water isn’t THAT turquoise. Sometimes it gets cloudy and you can’t see the top of the majestic Mt. Otumanu.

BUT I didn’t ever hear, nor did I think, oh man, if that cloud could just move over a little to the left and the aqua could just brighten up a bit, then this would be perfect, it would be even more beautiful.

We just loved loved Bora Bora, we just delighted in the beauty of it all the time no matter what it looked like that day.

And since I was with some of my besties and some new awesome favorite people, we were gushing over being together and we couldn’t take enough pictures of each other.

Sometimes I really didn’t like a certain angle of my face or my chin, sometimes one of us thought we looked fat, and sometimes we had to delete the pic because “it was just that bad”.

Nature made Bora Bora and nature made our bodies.

Isn’t that crazy?

What if we could see all of nature and its uniqueness as perfect just the way it is. Even in pictures. Everytime.

Because really who cares if I look fat? So what? Then someone out there might think I look fat? So I am fat in someone's mind.

So what?

Are we so concerned about the pictures we take because we are afraid of being perceived as not good enough? Are we so conditioned that we really believe it is bad if we have some cellulite showing?

Why do we care so much?

For me, I realize it is such a waste of energy.

So from here on out I am just going to like every picture. I am just going to let the onlookers have their opinion about me, right or wrong. Because really who cares?

I know what I look like and I know who I am.

It may be a tall order but at least it is a fun challenge. What if we could just like every image of ourselves? Because it is perfect and because nature made it and because what other people think of it does not matter at all.

Only what we think and make it mean matters.

Have the Best Week Ever + Love,

Laura

And PS since I wrote this like 24 hours ago -- I have been majorly tested on my new decision to like every picture. My brain wants to critique every little “flaw” -- that is it’s default -- but if I have to like the picture -- my brain starts to get creative and for the most part I can get there. It actually IS kind of fun.