Today I am thinking about our bodies.
I've found myself lately slipping into the thinking lately that my body isn't good enough; that I am gaining so much weight and have all this cellulite that I used to not have. I'll be honest, I've have gained about 15 pounds in the last two years, and I really really hate that. My former dancer body is now completely gone, and it would take a lot of work to get it back to that shape.
But you know what? I was in that shape when I was a teenager and in my twenties. I am now a full grown woman in my 30s, and that is a beautiful thing. Would I want to go back to the time when I was in my early twenties? In some ways, sure, but overall, heck no.
It is rare to talk to an American woman who is happy with her body. We always have to feel guilty for not doing enough--not eating better, not working out more, "every dessert goes straight to our thighs"-- meanwhile juggling a family, career, stress and so much more. We love to make ourselves feel guilty, although doing so feels like crap. We have a hard time accepting and hearing complements, because we never think we are good enough. Well, I am going to try to start here and say You ARE good enough. You ARE beautiful.
I am happy with who I am, and I am only getting better with age. I am a beautiful lucious woman. I am real, and my clothing size has no say in my worth as a human. Eff you societal standards, eff you fashion and tabloid magazines, eff you greedy companies who try to pray to the insecurities of men and women throughout the country.
I'll reward my body with healthy eating and exercise, not because I have to to keep the cellulite away, but because I feel better when I do. I have more energy when I am active; things are easier. But I'm not going to beat myself up about it if I don't. Instead, I'll enjoy my time on this earth and be grateful that I have the ability to move freely and that I'm in good health.
The scars we carry, each wrinkle, and the few extra pounds we have tell stories of who we are and what we've gone through.
Everyone's life is a blessing. Whether you know it or not, your life is a gift to someone else. We are better off for knowing you. You have so much to offer, to give. You are enough. You are beautiful. You are an amazing human being who has lived through so much, overcome so many obstacles, brought joy to so many people. I am happy for and proud of who you are.
And it doesn't matter what you look like on the outside.
