I’d Choose This Me Over Any Other

Yes, lines are now etched around my eyes
and my hair feels and looks slightly different than it used to
and I have more blemishes and scars
and my body doesn’t bounce back from injury as quickly

but I’m more together
more sure
more confident of myself, my looks, my work, my passions

I set the moment of envy aside
observing the other ladies filing into the yoga room
because I would choose my 31-year-old self over my 24-year-old self a million times over
and then once more over that
because I wouldn’t want all the uncertainty, all the insecurity, all the fear
I’d want my best self
and that’s me now, today, the woman with lines etched around her eyes