Summer does a heart good.

Wow. I'm realizing how much of myself I started to lose this year. I was stressed. My smile was fading. My heart sank just a little.

But giving myself time to relax is doing my soul good. Just going to the beach and watching the waves roll in and out, in and out...it cleanses my brain of all of those insecurities and stresses I was building up. I was draining myself of life!

The 2005-2006 school year was not the best year for me...cause I let little things give me ulcers and heart attacks almost every day. That does not do a body good (FYI, haha).

But I'm realizing again, like I realized long ago...that I'm beautiful.

And I don't mean that in a bragging/superficial way.

What I mean is that every girl should realize her inner beauty. Why do we stress ourselves out trying to please EVERYONE? You'll end up ripping yourself to shreds trying to do that.

There's an inner beauty inside of me that I've been hiding from people this year...why? Why not let it shine? Why not let it peak past the mountain tops the way escaping rays from the dawning sun does? It's been hidden for so long, cause I've kept it captive. It's ready to be released again.

I am confident and I am a woman. That is what being beautiful is about. Not about thinking you're not good enough. No, being beautiful is about knowing damn well that you are good enough.

That is the knowledge I've gained today. I am beautiful...and so are you, my friend. (Now let's go play a Mr. Roger's tape and hug each other, shall we?)