Coming off that last post … or perhaps because of it … (I like that better), I want to challenge all of us — myself included — to be kind to ourselves today.

I don’t mean to sound hokey, but really, how often do we give our bodies some love?

We might talk about our insides — like our big hearts, our compassion, our determination, our smarts, our perseverance … and those things are certainly important!

But I’m looking at the whole package today: mind, body and soul.

So how often do we look at ourselves in the mirror and say, “Damn. I look good now. Not ten pounds from now, not in a new pair of designer jeans, but now, at this moment, in these pj pants and ratty T.”?

My guess: not often.

I know I’m a good person on the inside; I am proud of who I am and what I’ve become. And believe me, I understand and wholeheartedly support the notion of looking at someone from the inside out vs the outside in.

But I still sometimes suffer from body dysmorphia or have body envy. Sometimes I think it’s part of being a woman, but other times, I’m not so sure.

The thing is, my husband can tell me I’m beautiful til he’s blue in the face, but if I don’t believe it … he might as well be talking to the geese chasing themselves in our backyard!

So today, let’s take a good look at ourselves in the mirror and share a compliment about our physical selves, for the blogosphere to see … and ourselves to believe.

I’ll go first. I’ve been told I have incredible eyes, and today they look bluer and topaz-jeweled, like the South Atlantic I remember from my trip to see penguins in Patagonia.

My hair is auburn, but getting darker with age. I’ve finally stopped straightening it and am just softening my curls each day. The difference is amazing. I feel like me, only better.

My shoulders are broad, firm and strong, and helped me lift weights this week, even after a hiatus.

And my thighs are thick and powerful; when I do squats, I know I’m strengthening them with every up and down movement and I can leg press as much as some guys.

How’s that for some body love?!

Maybe telling myself these things each day, looking for something new to “give credit” for (to quote Dr. Beck), will help me get to that place of overall acceptance: mind, body and soul.

How about you? What do you see in the mirror today?