Transcript:

Hello, I am Nicole C. Ayers, and if you’re tuning in real time, you know Valentine’s Day is fast approaching. I’m not a huge Valentine’s Day fan. It’s , you know, you might be like me and think it’s really a commercial holiday. There’s all this pressure to be partnered with people and to be loved, but I do also really appreciate the collective energy for a day of love, right? Love for our girlfriends, love for our partners, love for our families, and most of all, love for ourselves.

So even if you’re watching this sometime in the future and Valentine’s Day is long past, it’s always a good time for some self-love, and I want to spend just a few minutes today giving you a little gift of inspiration for self-love.

I’m gonna do a read aloud from Love Notes to My Body. This is the book that I wrote on my own journey to make peace with my body, to learn to just love myself a little, and eventually a lot. Love Notes to My Body was written by me, of course, and illustrated by Mica Gadhia, who has her own amazing memoir called Open In the Front, which I highly recommend you also check out for some self-love inspiration.

All right, I’m just gonna randomly flip to three different pages. We’ll see what we get.

Dear Neck,

Dear Neck, Thank you for being the strong base for my brain. You hold my head high even when I’ve spent too many hours looking at my computer screen and giving you cramps. I promise to love you with slow, sensual rolls and stretches more often. Love, Me.

Ooh, makes me wanna roll my neck now. That’s probably what I’ll do when we get off this video.

All right, let’s see what comes next. Oh, this was my skin and her friends. So we’ll see what the page before that is. Oh dear Toenails.

Dear toenails, your colorful shin delight me when I catch you peeking from my shoes. Or when I glance down at my bare feet and see your sparkle. Painting you is a joy as I get to play with color. Thank you for being the canvas that showcases my artwork. You’re an easy pick me up when I need a boost. Love, Me.

Do you like to paint your nails? It’s always a fun thing for me.

All right. Oh, last one is Dear Tears. This is one I often read when I’m giving talks just because I think all of us have stories about crying and what that might mean. And this is my take on it.

Dear Tears, You live so close to the surface most days and provide me with a release that is so cleansing. When my heart is bursting with love, your prickling allows me to release the overflow of emotion in my heart. You help me connect to the people I love, to strangers, and even to fictional souls with empathy and affection. And when I feel broken or the world’s tragedies are too heavy, you help me release my grief and let it go. You are beloved. Love, Me.

So go out into day, thinking of one small way you can love on yourself a little bit more. Maybe one body part that you could send a little bit of extra love to. If you feel inspired to write your own note, I would love to hear about it. You can email me at nicole@nicolecayers.com or send me a message on Instagram.

Until next time, know I’m thinking of you. Take care. Bye.