Leading with your heart

I've been having a hard time the past few weeks. Stressing over school, trying to get things wrapped up at work, trying to make plans for the holidays, and in the process stress eating--which only lead to another problem, absolutely hating my body. Now normally I don't have all those thoughts quite so loud and quite so persistent but my defenses have been low, I guess. So its been a struggle. Then...something happened.
I was blowing time on tumblr when I came across a blog dedicated to dance, and I found Misty Copeland. I have always loved dance. Since I was 2, I think dancers are the most beautiful people in the world. In college my wall was plastered with photos shot by Howard Schatz from his book Passion & Line. I never tire of dance. But I wondered why it is that I couldn't tear away from her photos, why I kept being so drawn to them...and the answer that I settled on was that, her entire heart is in her dance. Her body...is dancing her heart song.
I keep remembering that quote...the one that says what you love in others is what your soul wishes you saw in yourself. I love strength and grace in others. I love warmth. I love honesty. I love kindness. Would I ever describe myself as any of those things? Maybe honest. I want to lead with my heart. I want to dance. Not literally, but to allow myself that freedom to be lost in an emotion, in a world that moves to a rhythm we can't touch.
Then, for the first time in maybe three weeks I looked in the mirror and saw something good.