Miss Canada's Future Is...

NOW.   We are often looking to what's next rather than focusing on what is in front of us right NOW.    I want to be present and appreciate everything I have while working towards the future.  We are led to believe we should always be striving for more, bigger, better - rather than looking around and appreciating what lies in front of us in the present moment.   This year, I will remind myself to be here NOW.  Living in the moment and being present can be so difficult.  A practice that has helped me with this is yoga, or just a quick, seated meditation. Reminding myself to be in the moment, to look around and appreciate what is around me will help me embody this word.    This past year, I learned to love myself and my body throughout the different stages of life.  Learning to love my body has been a challenge for me; however, I have worked to shift those thoughts and view my body as the only true home I will ever have.  My body is a vessel that I need to take care of with love and compassion.     I focused on the amazing things my body does for me, how powerful I can be, and the strength and resilience I am capable of throughout life's challenges. I started to view myself in a new light.     I've also grown in a new way because I am entering my ninth month of pregnancy with a baby girl due in early February! Being pregnant and growing life has allowed me to appreciate how truly amazing the human body is and what we are capable of.    Going into 2019, I am most grateful for my body and what it is able to do. There is so much pressure on women to look a certain way and have particular body measurements.  We are told that we are too fat, too skinny, our boobs are too big, our boobs are too small, our butts could be rounder, our waists could be smaller, our skin could be smoother, and the list goes on.  We are rarely told to take a step back and appreciate everything we are rather than focusing on the things we are not. In 2018, I have became truly appreciative of my body, and going into 2019, I am incredibly grateful for my body and what it has done for me in my life.    The most important person to love, to look up to, and to be better for every single day is the person looking back at you in the mirror!   -Siera Bearchell