Thinking about identity and symbols.

In 2010, I had to have a surgery to remove a growth the size of a pecan from under my eyelid. For years I had it in there and just thought it was normal; sort of everyone having one side of their body slightly different from the other. It was a wake-up call to start paying attention to myself and to the little idiosyncrasies of my body.

I stare at myself in the mirror: hair is only half as thick as it was fifteen years ago, the elasticity of my skin giving away like a rubber band that had been stretched out for too long. I ran my fingers over the inch-size stretch mark that materialized in my stomach two days before my son was born as if letting me know he was ready.

I feel grateful for being alive, I feel grateful for being healthy, and I feel an immense sense of peace because I know I haven’t lost my youth, I’ve used it.

The little marks that shape our bodies are what makes us who we are, and the symbols that we incorporate in our lives are part of our identity.

So, next time you look in the mirror, be sure you'll never be more beautiful than when you look at yourself through your imperfections—your story.