Lesson from the Garden: Beauty Grows in Endless Forms

Take a walk through a garden nursery,
or flip through a seed catalog,
and you might become overwhelmed
with the variety of sizes, shapes, colors and forms.
Huge, thick-stalked sunflowers,
tiny clusters of delicate forget-me-nots,
the adorable faces of pansies,
lilies in every color of the rainbow.
Flowers that love cool, damp shady locations,
and flowers that thrive in

continue reading to see the illustration!

Serenity: I am at Peace with Myself

Serenity: I am at peace with myself.

“I am at peace with myself”
is a very gentle, yet powerful affirmation, for creating positive body image and self-esteem.
It allows for change, but it doesn’t require reaching personal goals right this very minute.

It doesn’t focus on what should be, could be, ought to

continue reading to see the illustration!

Graduation: Letting Go and Moving On!

Graduation Day: Letting Go and Moving On!

I am a high school teacher,
so I have been to dozens of graduations.
It’s always pomp & circumstance,
caps & gowns, friends and family,
flowers and balloons, tears and cheers.
And for a few brief hours,
all those kids who had separated themselves
into rival cliques,
the trouble-makers and

continue reading to see the illustration!

The 4 Ingredients of a Stress-Free Diet

Life is no picnic if you never enjoy a real one!

The 4 Steps are really just 4 words:
1. Choices.
2. Forgiveness.
3. Moderation.
4. Love.

1. I make healthy choices whenever I can,
but forgive myself when I don’t.

Everyone
occasionally indulges when it comes to food!
It could be snacks at a backyard get-together
or

continue reading to see the illustration!

Too Fat for Summer?

Summer Pleasures

Swimming…

Riding a bike…

Picnics and hikes…

The backyard and the beach…

Swinging in a hammock full of daydreams…

No bikini required!

© Elizabeth Patch, all rights reserved, from “More to Love”

Finally, it’s summertime!
Picnics, parks, gardens, pools, lakes, the ocean,
bike rides, hiking, hammocks, flip-flops,
BBQs and cook outs, farmer’s markets,
long days, warm nights, fireflies, butterflies…
so

continue reading to see the illustration!

Small Bites of Pleasure

It’s easy to think of occasional big pleasures:
a long romantic weekend with an amazing lover,
a gourmet meal at a top restaurant,
a care-free day at the beach,
a head-to-toe luxury spa treatment.

But how often can you really find the time or money
for indulging in those big treats?
Between the job and the housework,
the

continue reading to see the illustration!

Creativity, Self-Esteem and Body Image

Margarita Tartakovsky, MS at  Weightless invited me to contribute some thoughts on creativity and body image.

© elizabeth patch, all rights reserved

I have been an art teacher for over 20 years.

My illustrations/writings have evolved out of experiences with the chronic low self-esteem that
my female students, friends, family members
(and yes, even

continue reading to see the illustration!

Another Year, Another Chance

It doesn’t take any special powers to
predict next week’s conversations:
Friends, family & co-workers will be complaining about
how much they over-ate, over-drank, over-spent this week!
Everyone will be moaning about
going on a diet, de-toxifying or joining a gym.
Hardly anyone will sound very enthusiastic
about their new resolutions…

It seems to me

continue reading to see the illustration!

Dance as if Nobody is Watching

© elizabeth patch, all rights reserved

I write and draw and tweet and blog about positive body image, size acceptance, self-esteem for women.
And I put on a pretty upbeat public face.

So obviously I must be this really self-confidant woman who just goes out into the world every day
with a big

continue reading to see the illustration!

Describe Yourself

Describe Yourself

Curvaceous, Shapely, Ample.
Luxuriant, Generous, Opulent, Lush.

Prolific, Fleshy, Yielding.
Voluptuous, Bountiful, Copious, Soft.

Abundant, Supple, Rounded.
Magnificent, Sumptuous, Plentiful, Grand.

Wonderful.
Woman.

© elizabeth patch, More to Love

“sticks and stones may break my bones,
but words will never hurt me”…

But of course words can hurt!
In fact they can hurt terribly, and the scars can last as

continue reading to see the illustration!

Related Posts with Thumbnails