Lovely. I've been feeling like we all are way too hard on ourselves lately, and this post is a good reminder to appreciate our beautiful imperfectness.

A nice, gentle reminder! Would you mind if a copied it to my blog to spread the word with the appropriate credit to you? I'll wait to hear from you~

A nice, gentle reminder! Would you mind if a copied it to my blog to spread the word with the appropriate credit to you? I'll wait to hear from you~

andrea,

haven't visited your page in ages....was (re)directed here from jen lemen's post today. and...i really needed to hear (read) your words. i've been wondering/feeling such this flavor of stuff lately...'did i miss the boat? why aren't i where i thought i would/should be at this age?' etc.

thank you.

~ jennifer

How beautiful and reassuring.

THANK YOU! I couldn't have read that at a more perfect time.

THANK YOU! I couldn't have read that at a more perfect time.

thank you.
sigh.
i love you.

Thank you thank you thank you.

Although it's been said so many times before, thank you so much for this post! I really needed it right now.

I love your dogwood pictures. I live in the bay area now, but I was just in the southeast where dogwoods are completely ubiquitous, and it makes me just a little homesick, but in a nostalgic-goodness kind of way. Your words are beautiful.

Boy, I so needed this today.
Thanks!
:-)

When I saw 99 comments, I thought "OK, I get to be the 100th person to say Thank You. That's so great!" Thank you. I get the feeling that this will be one of those pieces of wisdom that will be much-shared and much cherished. Thank you.

I know you know how much these words mean to me:)
XO

Thank You.

I just think you are so neat.

oh, you are holding a sacred space, to say these words and invite people into them. so fitting and beautiful.

Thank you so much. Can I copy it to my blog?? You are an inspiration to me. I look at your blog every day.
Hugs
deb (New Zealand)

Thank you so much. Can I copy it to my blog?? You are an inspiration to me. I look at your blog every day.
Hugs
deb (New Zealand)

thank you, thank you, thank you.

thank you Andrea

You are right. It is perfect.

Yes, thank you from the very bottom of my heart.

This lovely and much needed. Thank you, Andrea.

This lovely and much needed. Thank you, Andrea.

This lovely and much needed. Thank you, Andrea.

this made me cry, a. i needed to hear it... I've been trying to shake the nagging feeling that i have dropped too many balls for weeks.
love you.

I will print out these words of yours and carry them with me.
This is a gift!
thank you thank you
:-)

Your words were the sweetest gift to receive this morning. You have layed out before me exactly what my heart and soul needed to hear. Thank you for your generous heart, your compassionate spirit, and your beautiful, beautiful words.

Kimberly

Thanks Andrea,
Beautiful post.

Wow. Simple encouragement goes a long way. I am going to do the same. Bless you.

Thank you. Thank you.

My eyes filled with tears as I read the first line. By the last line I was bawling like a baby. Today was the day I was meant to read this and my heart and spirit thank you thank you thank you.

Wow did I need to read that right now. You are the best andrea!

amazingly appropriate at just the right moment. the universe drew me to this tonight... totally needed it. thanks for the great reminder!

thank you for this perfect message, Andrea!
in light,
gem

thanks.

Isn't it funny how we all needed your words today? I know I did...thank you.

I agree with Shawn....

thank you. I needed to hear those words.

Thank you.

Thank you. This was a great reminder. Also about how to treat other people -- thank you, I really needed this.

Thank you. This was a great reminder. Also about how to treat other people -- thank you, I really needed this.

Oh how lovely, something I needed to hear today too!
Love Alison x

Oh how lovely, something I needed to hear today too!
Love Alison x

Oh how lovely, something I needed to hear today too!
Love Alison x

Oh how lovely, something I needed to hear today too!
Love Alison x

Oh how lovely, something I needed to hear today too!
Love Alison x

Oh how lovely, something I needed to hear today too!
Love Alison x

Simply put Thank You!!!

Thank you for this Andrea! And apparently I am not alone in needing to hear that message today. 

I have been reading you blog for sometime now but have never commented. I am all too often rendered speechless after ready such beautiful writing. Words are not my ‘thing’ and I have a hard time corralling my thoughts into cohesive sentences. So I tend to not speak up or participate. I will make an effort to not be so hard on myself. Because I’m fine right where I am.

And your photograph is gorgeous!

yesterday depression overcame me for most of the day. everyday i feel it to some extent. but yesterday was a rough day.

i came home and sat down to read blogs for a bit.
and i'm so thankful you posted this.

i've re-read it a 100 times since last night.

it is such a gentle reminder to be easier on myself.

thank you for being you + sharing yourself with us.

xx
jill

I think I really needed that. I am so bored (it is a greater feeling of ill-at-ease, inadequacy, and ennui) today that I can't take a good deep breath. It seems that I haven't come very far at all. I just got an email from my past self (FutureMe.org) and I just don't feel like I've MOVED at all. But I have: changed cities and states, jobs, haircuts, relationship status. I wonder what more do I want?!

Right now, I am a librarian in a small high school. It's a long story. I'm not happy here. There has just got to be MORE.

But in the midst of all this dissatisfaction, your words always help. Bless you!

I think I really needed that. I am so bored (it is a greater feeling of ill-at-ease, inadequacy, and ennui) today that I can't take a good deep breath. It seems that I haven't come very far at all. I just got an email from my past self (FutureMe.org) and I just don't feel like I've MOVED at all. But I have: changed cities and states, jobs, haircuts, relationship status. I wonder what more do I want?!

Right now, I am a librarian in a small high school. It's a long story. I'm not happy here. There has just got to be MORE.

But in the midst of all this dissatisfaction, your words always help. Bless you!

You have brought me to tears. The good kind. In the midst of being laid off from work, struggling through the joys of single motherhood, and juggling a triple major in college (with a shoddy gpa) all at the age of 30; I have taken to feeling overwhelmed and incompetent. In your words I have regained my strength & purpose. THANK YOU,

I'm nearly finished with the first draft of my first novel and yesterday was a tough day with it. Today my middle son is ill and I am exhausted.

A nice cooling thought in the midst of all the fever of the day.

i read this holding my 4 month old in my arms while having morning coffee and putting off facing my to-do list. such good timing to read a message that i'm good enough in my messy, unfinished state, even without accomplishing things on a list...

I really needed to hear that today. Thank you. ^_^

mmmmm.....so good
xo
jen gray

Thank you, Andrea.

I wonder what you were thinking about, yourself, that made you want to write that. (I often wonder that.)

I think I'm going to write this one down and put it in a nice, old book at our local used book store.

Just beautiful, Andrea! How did you know the answers to some of my questions?? :)

Andrea,
Thank you, thank you, thank you!

Oh Andrea,

Thank you thank you thank you.
Today, at this moment in my life, these words went straight to my heart.
I'm glad I discovered your blog last winter, you're such an inspirational human superhero girl.

-x-

Oh Andrea,

Thank you thank you thank you.
Today, at this moment in my life, these words went right to my heart.
I'm glad I discovered your blog last winter, you're such an inspirational human superhero girl.

-x-

"You are not missing out, falling behind, doing it wrong,
not trying hard enough."

I needed to hear this. Bless you.

Thank you!! I can not tell you how much i need that...as i sit here trying to work. not focused at all. what you wrote is perfect as if you wrote it just for me. thank you. i have printed it out and stuck it on my wall. thank you!!!

Thank you. You know I really think you are a superhero.

I have come through your blog just by the word 'handsome'. But this is not relevant now.

All I want to say is thank you. I have found a treasure of beauty in your blog and it has moved and stimulated me at a very profound level.
I hope you don't mind me keeping an eye on it, and reading you from time to time.

Best wishes.

Valle

sigh...exhale...thank you.

thank you thank you thank you.

sigh...exhale...thank you.

thank you thank you thank you.

sigh...exhale...thank you.

thank you thank you thank you.

sigh...exhale...thank you.

thank you thank you thank you.

You are a genius of compassion.

Exactly what I needed right now. Thank you! :)

So wonderfully sweet and simple. Just perfect and perfectly timed.

Thank you.

Goodness, you have timing! I really really needed to hear this. I wrote it in my journal straight away. In two weeks I will become a fulltime writer and it is starting to scare me, to finally be able to earn a living doing what i love. Well, the earning the living is scaring me, you know, what if... But reading this reminded me that I'm on the right track :) So thank you, very much!

With love,
Silvia

thank you so much Andrea, I really needed that exactly at this moment.

thank you so much Andrea, I really needed that exactly at this moment.

i have never commented on anything ever before; i realize that all of the people who have commented believe that the message, in part was for them; while i know it wasn't purposely for me... i do know that i read it at the right time...
i wonder how it feels to write that with such a sense of sureness

i have never commented on anything ever before; i realize that all of the people who have commented believe that the message, in part was for them; while i know it wasn't purposely for me... i do know that i read it at the right time...
i wonder how it feels to write that with such a sense of sureness

Amazing. Thank you, thank you.

thank you so much. so, so much. that is exactly what i needed to read. right now. this very instant. thank you, andrea.

thank you thank you thank you

I wish i could say these words to myself daily.

This is just what I needed today, Thank you so much.

A perfect circle of love, and so very welcome on my doorstep.

thanks i really needed that today :)

sweet woman. you are precious in yourself, in your wonderfulness. thank you.

just as i was feeling guilty for being at the computer and not cleaning, doing dishes or catching up on reading etc etc...this message completely made my day.

thanks for that! ;)

wow! you rock. i've been feeling constant pangs of missing out and it makes me sick with anxiety. thanks for your kind words. just goes to show that people can give so much with words alone; words to a stranger they don't even know. thanks.

Add my voice to the chorus needing to hear that message.

Thank you.

thank you. what a wonderful message to stumble across today. i will pass it along to others that might need it as well. such an important reminder!

THANK YOU, Andrea! These are the perfects words I needed to see today. How did you know what I was thinking? Peace.

bless you, dearheart.

and, thank you.

I needed that today, more than you can know. My thanks.

sometimes i need to hear that. thanks andrea.

Thank You.

exhaling.

Totally needed this today. Thank you.

Totally needed this today. Thank you.

This is exactly what I was thinking on my drive home this evening. Thank you!

Thank you Andrea, I needed this today!

thank you, thank you, thank you. the perfect message at the perfect time.

This totally made me smile. :) Thanks!

Why thank you...

:-)

OMG ~ this is to me! wow, how totally perfect.

thank you - i needed this..

xoxoxo
s

Wow... A little angel spoke to me today.

As I sit here thinking to myself just as you spoke, not feeling up to par, feeling like I'm letting my partner down, feeling like not enough. Now I can just stop that, can't I?

Thanks...

Thank you so much! I really needed to hear that today. It brought tears to my eyes.

Wow...exactly what I just had a conversation about -- and -- needed to hear.

Thanks. :)

thank you sweet A...

Ahhh...Deep sigh of relief. Thank you.

Unbelieveable. You have no idea how appropriate this is today. there have been so many signs in my life that i need to stop taking more on....more commitments, more stuff, more guilt. Whenever i feel tempted, there is a small, gentle and beautiful reminder that I am fine the way I am. I am/have enough.
thank you for this reminder!

Thank you so much. I needed that.