I Don't Mean to Toot My Own Horn,

But I am definitely about to toot my own horn. For the past week or so, I've been focusing on the negatives way to much. As an obvious result (hind sight is 20/20), I was less than happy. So, I'm going to do something about it. I'm going to toot.

1. I am a fantastic cook. I may be the only person in the world that enjoys eating it, but man oh man I love the food I make. I've had a pretty sheltered life in terms of spices and am using this time in my life to experiment. My taste buds have never been happier.

2. I am becoming quite the runner. My splits on easy days are through the roof, and my long runs are not only getting easier, but they are something that I enjoy. This is going to sound silly because I've been running since I was 14, but I finally feel like a runner. (I know I said no negatives, but I think this new identity has really helped me start to let go of my eating disorder identity.)

3. I have amazing legs. There. I said it. I said something positive about my body. I'm not malnourished or underweight or starving, yet I am finally starting to see a little clearer. And I am liking what I see. They may not look that fantastic to an outsider, but lately I've just been in awe of how awesome my muscles look when I am walking or running. When I look at myself when I'm running? Sweet Jesus my legs look strong. And that's the funny thing, because if my legs had been this size a few months ago, I probably would have cried. But my ideals of what is "good" and "bad" are starting to change, and I am pleased to say that I like that. I may not have the thigh gap that we as women of this society are supposed to strive for, but I can run 10 miles without stopping. I think that's a little more impressive than being able to starve yourself for a thigh gap.

And that's that. I actually haven't been able to write down anything that I like about myself since this whole thing started. And I just did three. I'm going to call it a success.