Beautiful

Have you ever had that moment where, as a mom, you finally see yourself as beautiful? I mean, truly, honestly, really attractive... to yourself?

I was walking out of the bathroom when I glanced at myself in the sliding mirror shower door this afternoon. It hit me really quickly, like a sudden great idea you get in the middle of doing something else. I thought, "Hey! I look good! And I'm a mom!" It was a delicious thought and I wanted to hang onto it for a few moments longer. I walked back into the bathroom to admire myself some more, turning and preening the way we women are want to do.

It was nice to be able to see the few inches that have melted away after childbirth and all the fastfood runs made during all those nights in the ER with my infant son had finally, FINALLY decided to take a hike, in the literal sense. The weight that I had lost and gained back during the most crucial six weeks after having a baby that I never thought I'd get rid of. The curves that I'd missed for these last three months were, at long last, starting to come out of hiding.

But it's not as if weight was the thing that made me feel unattractive. I had just taken time to put make-up on, I'd spent the morning with one of my best friends, whom I adore, and I was going out to shop with my two favorite people in the whole world: my boys. It felt good to have my self-esteem in the right place for a boost. I was feeling good about other aspects of my life as well, so looking good was just something else to add.