Let your mind wander to a time in the future. Imagine yourself old and aged, in the final stage of this lifetime. This version of you has over 75 years under their belt. They’ve lived an enriched life and feel deeply grateful for the time they’ve been given. As they reflect on the decades behind them, they start to think about the version of you that you are today.

 

That elderly version of you sees your youth, your health, your curiosity, and your hopefulness. They see a version of themselves standing right at the edge of everything that’s to come. They won’t fixate on your quirks, the curves of your body, the awkwardness that comes with being young and learning how to move through the world. If anything, they’ll wish you had accepted yourself more despite it all.

 

We can choose to live in honor of that version of ourselves. The version of us that would give anything for just one more day of youth. The version that wishes they could still climb mountains, drive across the country, explore new careers, and fall in love over and over. They would wish for just one moment in a body that moves with ease. That version of you’s dream body is simply a body that lets them run, dance,  jump. They wouldn’t care if that body was large or small, curvy or straight. They would just be grateful for the chance to exist with that kind of health.

 

Think about it this way. When you think about your childhood self, you probably offer them kindness and grace. You might think, “I was so young. I didn’t know better. I wish I had been kinder to myself, more gentle with myself.” If we can think these things about the child we once were, isn't it likely an older version of ourselves think the same about who we are now? Wouldn’t they wish we had been kinder to ourselves, trusted ourselves more, forgiven ourselves sooner? Wouldn’t they wish we had accepted that we are strange, quirky, imperfect people simply trying to find our way in this world?

 

Let’s live in honor of that future self. The self that recognizes we never needed to be perfect to be worthy of love. The self that understands we can be strange, messy, beautiful, and resilient all at once. The self that would give anything to wake up for just one morning as their younger self. The one that saw the unknown is a portal to unlimited possibilities rather than something to run from. 

 

Still not so convinced you're worthy of love just as you are? Think of someone you love deeply. Let their face slowly take form in your mind’s eye. Picture their smile, their laugh, the things they say and do. Let the image come gently. Is this person perfect? No. Have they never been awkward, weird, or unkind? Surely they have. And yet you love them anyway. Love is not a conditional response to perfection. Love, when it is true, is the act of accepting something for all that it is, regardless of it's imperfection. 

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We have this lifetime as ourselves, and despite what your beliefs may be, you can’t say for certain what comes after. This life is all we consciously know. We deserve to live each day rooting for ourselves, offering ourselves compassion, knowing we are bound to be strange, uncomfortable, and sometimes wrong—and that we are still deserving of love and kindness from ourselves. Because what if this is it? Wouldn't it be a shame if we spent our one shot at knowing how it feels to be human wrapped in a cloak of shame and fear? 

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We may be annoying sometimes. We may say the wrong thing. We may feel awkward or unsure. But none of that negates the truth that we are worthy of love, both from others and more importantly from ourselves. We extend that acceptance and open-heartedness to those we love. We deserve to extend that same grace to ourselves.

 

So as you move through the days to come, try to carry that perspective with you. Move through the world with a little more softness toward yourself. Speak to yourself with the same kindness you offer the people you love most, to a younger version of yourself. Because one day, a future version of you will look back at this moment. And they won’t wish you had been more perfect, more polished, or more certain. They’ll simply wish you had known how worthy of your own love you were all along.