Hey! I’m proud of you.

I am so proud of you.

Stupid, crazy, grinning like a mad woman proud of you. Like jump up and down and squeal proud of you.

You might be thinking, why? Wendy, you don’t even know me, why are you proud of me?

Because you are reading this. Because you got out of bed today. Because you likely did something you didn’t want to. Because you crushed that work meeting. Because you absolutely slayed class snacks for your kids. Because you worked out, or because you rested, or just because you exist.

I am proud of you for all the small things and the big things too.

We get excited for folks at big milestones. Graduating college, getting engaged, getting married, buying a house, and having a baby, we all jump up and down and throw parties and our eyes glow with pride.

But what about the other things, the small, medium, and different large-sized ones?

You got a new job, you left a toxic relationship, you started a business, you got out of bed this morning, you finished a book, you went for a walk in the sun, you ate.

I am proud of you.

Because not every day is easy, some are unbelievably hard. Some feel impossible.

For me, I am proud of myself for a million of tiny things that other people might not think anything of.

When I am in a deeply depressive period, I am so proud of myself when I eat. When I am struggling with my body image I am so proud of myself when I avoid the mirror and the opportunity to tear my body apart. I am so proud of myself when I go for a walk. When I make time to write. When I call my best friend.

I am proud of all these things because some days it feels impossible to do them.

So I am proud of you. For all the big and small things, I am proud of you.