LETTERS FROM LOVE — With Special Guest BJ Armour!

I love me three different ways

Dear Lovelets!

Hello and I love you!

You made it through another week of Earth School, and I am not a bit surprised, because I believe in you and I think you are SPECTACULAR.

“Spectacular” is the theme of this week, brought to us by our very special guest, the artist and singer and general man-about-town, BJ Armour.

I found out about BJ through a wonderful organization called Studio Route 29 in my home community of Frenchtown, New Jersey. It is an extraordinary studio, gallery, and community space whose mission is to open up the creative arts to people who are often marginalized and excluded from lives of creativity because of their cognitive or physical disabilities. (You can check them out on Instagram here.) I am a proud collector of the magical work made by the artists of Studio Route 29, and I especially love the music and paintings of BJ — who often uses his art as a means of expressing, quite simply, how freaking awesome he is.

When was the last time you made a piece of art celebrating how freaking awesome you are? When was the last time you meditated upon your own awesomeness? May I suggest that you make one this week? Are you afraid of exclaiming aloud at your outstanding incredibleness? BJ isn’t!

For months now, I’ve had in my head the tune of BJ’s original song “I Love You BJ Three Different Ways” in which, using his own words and the voices of Catwoman and Batman, he expounds upon how simply amazing he is. I love you, BJ, he sings in the voice of Catwoman. You’re cool! You’re better than cool! You’re SPECTACULAR!

To me, BJ’s celebration of his own existence is a work of spiritual art on the same level as Walt Whitman’s Song of Myself — a joyful and earnest jamboree of one’s own astonishing nature, written by a man who can’t stop reveling in what a miracle it is to even be here, in this body, on this planet.

It is such an honor that BJ agreed to come on Letters From Love this week, not only to share his songs of greatness, but to let us see his creative process, and to hear about what loving himself means to him.

We have been covering some difficult themes in this space over the last few months — but for some of you, asking Unconditional Love to tell you why you are spectacular might be the most difficult task of all. I ask that you don’t shrink from this prompt. See if you can face it! See if you can handle it! See if you can bring yourself to sing the song of your own remarkable self. Take inspiration from BJ — for you are, indeed, better than cool. You are SPECTACULAR.

Have a beautiful week and I love you,

Your Lizzy

Dear Love, what would you have me know about why I am spectacular?

My Lizzy — before I answer your question, my tiny little pinecone, let me ask a few questions of you.

Why are you so shy about asking this? Why does it weird you out? Why would you be so much more comfortable asking me what’s wrong with you, or demanding that I give you a list of all your character defects that you need to work on, or all the bad stuff about you that needs to be changed? Why is there a terrible feeling in your belly when you even consider the possibility of inhabiting the word “spectacular”? What is that quick twist of heat that flushes your body? Is it shame? Is it fear?

Why do you want to look down when you ask this question? Why do you want to look away?

Child, listen to me. Look at me. Do you think you’ll get in trouble for staring straight into the sunlight of your own remarkable existence? For hearing about your own simple greatness?

Do you think you’re so special that you’re the one thing in creation that isn’t amazing?

Do you need proof of your spectacularness?

Well, let’s start here: every one of your cells contains its own nuclear reactor. Your heart has 70,000 brain cells in it — in other words, your heart has a mind of its own. When your heart breaks, salty oceans drain from your eyes. Your dreams are an independent cinema in a strange and foreign land, and the ongoing drama of your life, like all lives, is an extraordinary Victorian serial novel. Also, you often pick up garbage on the beaches and streets of the world, without even getting mad about it. You’re a good person, honey. You help out where you can. You do your best.

All of that’s great, but none of that is my answer as to why you are spectacular.

Here is why you are spectacular, Lizzy: because once upon a time in the darkest hour of your life, face down on the bathroom tile, sobbing, oppressed by a thousand pounds of shame and fear and loneliness, you heard my voice.

You didn’t even know who YOU were at that moment, but somehow you knew who I was. And when I told you that I loved you, my brave little wayfinder, and that you were infinitely precious to me, even now — even in this moment of absolute failure and crisis, that you were infinitely precious — you decided to believe me.

And that, my gritty little glittering rainbow, is why you are spectacular.

If you ever need another reminder, just ask. We love singing your song. We can’t get enough of you. We are right here and we absolutely adore you.

Love, LOVE

Prompt

Isn’t it strange that it’s so often easier to contemplate what’s “wrong” with us than what’s right with us? This week, please ask this slightly ungrammatical but important question: Dear Love, what would you have me know about my spectacularness? I can’t wait to hear all about the hows and whys!