It has taken me 43 years to love what I see when I look in the mirror. A message I heard in my 20s was on a continuous loop and kept playing over and over in my head. The message was that I wasn’t cute, nobody wanted me, and I should be happy with whoever I can get. Now, I am finally making peace and putting that lie to bed. What I see and how I live speak louder than what I hear. I have grown to appreciate the internal and external. Distance can bring things together. For that, I’m grateful.