Teresa, I agree with what you said about seeds of change being planted and growth happening gradually over time, sometimes imperceptibly. My experience with becoming more self-accepting has been largely a two steps forward, one step back kind of pattern. It takes as much time as it takes, and there are no shortcuts.

Here's a hopeful thought, though, for those on that path - it seems the older you get, the easier it gets in a way, because one becomes too tired to do anything but self-accept! Patience with the way you are comes along with all the other stuff you have to accept because there is no choice. As Popeye said, "I yam what I yam, and that's all that I yam!" And as Willie Nelson sings, "There's nothing I can do about it now..."

If I can accept my goofy husband the way he is (and I do) well then, I can certainly cut myself some slack, too. Humor is mandatory.