Shades of Patina

Isn’t it crazy how willing we are to believe the worst about ourselves? 

We quietly throw ourselves under the bus a million times a day. We sell ourselves out, and act like we are tarnished and dented goods.

If you saw a friend doing this, it would be heartbreaking, wouldn’t it? 

So we hide. We slay ourselves in the deep shadows of our psyche. Sometimes we shout, and sometimes we whisper about all the ways we are defective. Whether it is loudly voiced or almost inaudible, we relentlessly criticize and shame ourselves, day in and day out.

I’m calling you all out on the ways you’re are not kind to yourself, and invite you to start telling the truth about how magnificent you are—even with all the dents and tarnished parts. 

Those parts make you more beautiful. 

I repeat, those parts—the nuances, the imperfections you relentlessly try to hide, are the badges you have earned through a life well lived. They are the badges you get from rising each day to courageously face the challenges at hand.

These parts create your patina; the stuff that doesn’t need to be hidden. They are the wabi sabi marks that enhance your raw and natural beauty.

These are also the parts that need loving attention. They secretly want to be held and shamelessly cherished. 

When we can summon the compassion and strength to wholeheartedly embrace them, these are the parts that make us feel real and whole and humble, gratefully yearning for more life.

With a warm embrace,
Ariana