Love and the brain

"When it comes to love, the brain is so deeply patterned to remember, to feel, to hold..." -Helen Fisher, as quoted in It's My Pleasure

This makes sense to me. This is why I want to fall in love again. It's all because my brain knows what being in love feels like. My brain remembers it and holds it. There's a science behind this strong emotion. There's a scientific reason for why I seek it.
         And yet as I plug through this fabulous book, some of the writing resonates with me. How can I fall in love with someone if I don't fully love myself?
          I have been told that I am strong because of what I have been through at such a young age. I am told that I am brave. I am told that I am intelligent. I am told that I am beautiful. I am told that I am fun and funny. I am told that I am loving. And these are just a few things. I even have evidence to prove each of these things. But do I believe these characteristic traits are me? Sometimes.
          I want to believe each of these pieces, always. I will believe these always. It's not so high of an expectation to know that someday soon, I will wake up saying "I am strong, brave, intelligent, beautiful, loving, fun and funny." But to be realistic, I must know that I don't have to feel fabulous every day because I am human; I just have to believe in myself.
           So this will be a goal. I want to look in the mirror and be able to love me, all of me, for exactly who I am and who I am growing and evolving to be. Once that happens, my heart will be open to truly love another.