Charming Friends,

Let me pose to you some little questions.

Do you love yourself?

More to the point, do you love yourself right now? Right this very moment, wherever you may be, whatever you are wearing, whoever you are with, whatever you may be snacking on or sipping or imbibing. Whether you happen to have a hangover or period pain or cancer, whether or not you have successful relationships or social acceptance or the job you want or what you think of as enough money?

Do you think you will love yourself more after you have just lost that bit of weight or gotten more fit or gained some weight or edited your wardrobe or had that cosmetic procedure?

Will you love yourself more when you think somebody else loves you, or after you've recovered from this 'flu, or recovered from this addiction?

Do you think you could love yourself more if everybody else loves you more?

Do you love yourself even though you know - as do we all - that there is no such thing as perfection? That even though you are healthy there will still always be people who are critical about your appearance? That not every fabulous diet, exercie regime or 'permanent lifestyle change' will work - and in fact over the long term most won't? Do you love yourself even though you know that you will continue to grow older and change shape and lose things and people you know and eventually die and exist only in memories?

Or do you hate yourself? Even though you are human and aive and vital, even though you have thoughts and emotions and opinions which are undeniably valid, even though you have the capacity to be joyful and make others feel the same? Do you hate yourself even though you are capable of making changes and improvements, capable of creating arts, capable of creating something that others will always think of as wonderful? Do you hate yourself even though every hour of life makes you wiser and more experienced?

Do you think that loving yourself, and not hating yourself, is a good thing? And do you think that it is particularly easy?

No reason: we're just asking. We love you, though. Right now.

Yours charmingly,
Blossom and Darla