100,000

Two days ago I hit a milestone. My blog has reached 100,000 views.  Does that mean that everyone who has happened upon A Project for Kindness all have read it?  Probably not.  Perhaps it was just stumbled upon in a Google search, looked at and passed on by, but perhaps it did inspire some people to read it and follow it.  I have nearly 200 followers, (most who I don’t know personally).  Followers??  Considering blogging is not my full time job, I was surprised at this.  I know that “real bloggers” who do this as a career have thousands of followers but 200 makes me happy.  Whether or not they read each blog that I write or not, it is pretty uplifting to know that people want to hear what I have to say – even on those days I feel like there is nothing to write about.

Perhaps it is because my blog shows just how imperfect my life is.  I never write about how perfect things are because they are far from it!  My blog has given me the opportunity to share things that I might not talk about otherwise.  Self image,  struggling financially with Dave out of work, academic issues with my children, death of loved ones…the list could go on and on.  Maybe that’s what it is – the normalcy of my life.  No sugar coating, not writing about how wonderful, “practically perfect in every way” my life is…because it is not.

Whatever it is, I am grateful.  When I started, it was my hope to just inspire kindness.  I hope it has done that but actually for me, it has turned into something more.  Almost like a diary.  Why do people care about my life and what I am doing on a daily basis?  I will never know but if it inspires even one person a day – then it is fulfilling its purpose.

So thank you to all of you who read it, share it and who are inspired by it.  It is what makes me want to keep writing.

OH!  And Happy Birthday Dad!  Hope you get your wish and get to come home today.  We will celebrate with you whether you are home or still in the hospital…and maybe, just maybe, the Giants will pull of a win for you today!!

Imperfect = I’m Perfect

Now that I have been so focused on self-image and trying to embrace myself for who I am, I have been much more aware of it and in turn, I am trying to be less critical of myself.  Perhaps because of this awareness, I have been noticing that I am not alone in my thinking.  So many people, women and men and even young children have been led to believe that there is a standard of perfection and this is so damaging.

As I become more comfortable and begin embracing this new way of thinking, I am trying to put what I think are flaws and imperfections aside and instead, focus on what I find to be my positive attributes.

Here is a video from BuzzFeed and Upworthy.com that my friend Tammy shared today.  Another reminder to let your inner-beauty shine bright!