Hi, my name is hypocrite. Nice to meet you.

Before we really get to know each other, there are a few things you should know about me.

First, when you tell me that you have low self-esteem, I will tell you that you should love yourself.

I will tell you that your body is a canvas and your scars are works of art that tell stories of times when you have fallen and gotten back up. I will make poems out of your eyelashes and I will make music out of your laughter and I will insist that you are one of the most beautiful people I have ever seen. You are one of the most beautiful people I have ever seen, so I will implore you to treat yourself more gently. I will ask you to stop calling yourself ugly and I will tell you that your imperfections make you even more beautiful.

None of this will be a lie. I will tell all of this to you with a conviction unlike any other.

The thing is; I’m a hypocrite.

Second, I will be there for you when your emotions flood your body and sweep away all logic and reason.

I will try to anchor you to the ground, so that you may not be swept away along with everything else and I will give you reasons why you should always fight the current to stay rooted. I will weave you into an old tree with roots that go ten feet deep and I will point your attention to the brilliant flowers that grow among your limbs. I will paint you into a metaphor, but you will breathe life into my words and turn yourself into the real thing.

I will promise you that I will always be there, and I will keep that promise.

Please, remember that I’m a hypocrite.

Third, I will think the world of you. I will think of you in the brightest light possible and I will tell everyone how amazing you are.

I will pick you up when you’re down, or I will lay down with you and just listen to your troubles. I will try to suffer with you, so that you are not alone in your pain and I will write you a book of all the reasons you will be able to stand back up at the end of the day. You will be one of the best people I have ever known, and I will tell my kids one day about the wonderful person I had the honor of calling a friend.

I will cherish your friendship and I will stand up for you against yourself and anyone else.

Just know, I’m still a hypocrite.

I’m a hypocrite because I will pull at the fat on my stomach and I will tell myself that I am worthless every night before I go to sleep. I’m a hypocrite because I will preach about self-love, but then I turn around and I regard myself with anything but love. I will tell you that your imperfections make you beautiful, and then I will cry over the lopsided curve of my own lips and the stretch marks on my stomach.

I’m a hypocrite because I won’t call for help when I’m swept away by my own emotions. I won’t swim towards any lifesaver you may throw me because I don’t want to be a burden. I’m a hypocrite because while I cherish you, I do not know how to cherish myself. I’m a hypocrite because I will lock myself away when I need someone and I will tell you that everything’s fine. I’m still learning how to receive in a friendship and I hope that you’ll bear with me.

I’m a hypocrite, but you’re my friend anyway.

Thank you for loving me anyway.