Wow, that sounds pretty obnoxious and conceited, right? :) But my body IS beautiful!!! I've got two arms and two legs that both do what I ask them to do, my eyes and ears and mouth and mind all work in harmony, and my biggest concerns when it comes to my physical health these days is whether or not I like the way I look in my jeans. So many many people dont have that luxury. Just like a car that we dont truly appreciate until it breaks down, our body is a miraculous gift that functions and obeys our demands day in and day out with so much seeming ease that it is easy to forget how precious our health and mobility truly is until we dont have it.
I remember a season in my life, you know...one of those dark and sad and angry seasons where we justify our right to stew and marinate in our own ugly well of self-righteous depression and complicated emotions....and in this season I took up smoking. I never embraced it wholeheartedly, but I did use it to fill some very jagged tears and holes in my heart for a while. And I will tell you what made me stop...One day I was driving home from teaching dance, I was enjoying a smoke, and I saw a small, hunched over frame shuffling down the street. It was an old woman, her back permanently deformed into a small hunch back, and with great effort she slowly traveled as her whole body seemed weighted down into each tiny slow step she took. I saw how hard her load was and marveled at how blessed I was to be able to move my body freely and with ease. As I was mulling and sympathizing over the chasm of difference between my body's beautiful physical ability in juxtaposition to her restricted state I thanked God for the gift of this miracle body that could do so much and asked for so little. And right then, as smoke fumes filled my nostrils, I was hit with the overwhelming awareness of the hypocrisy of my state. Here I was, living in this amazing temple of physical blessings and yet I was slowly destroying it with every puff. I knew that one cigerette would not kill me, but in the greater sense I was keenly aware that as I was thanking God with my mouth I was tearing down the integrity of his gift with my actions. No one likes a liar and I decided that I wasn't going to lie to myself or to my clients or to the world as a hypocrite. I decided that day to consciously live in true gratitude with my body. I realized that my body would one day, like everything else, deteriorate, and that it was my responsibility to uphold and preserve and encourage the miracle that I had been given for as many days, weeks, months, or years that it was mine to steward. Every day is full of little choices to either build our body up or tear it down and whether it is smoking, or drinking, or over indulging in any matter of things, we have one body and we cant exchange it for a new one if we destroy the one we've got.
So yes, my body is beautiful. And so is yours! Even if you are suffering from an ailment or a physical handicap, your body is STILL a gift. Every day is an opportunity to take care of it, to nourish it, to move it, to thank the Creator who gave it to you by using it wisely and with loving intention. Your body is your transportation vehicle and although we might not all be driving through life in BMWs or Mercedes, if you have a body that moves, you are blessed. And regardless of its state, you are worthy. You are valid. You are important. And as part of who you are, although it is NOT who you are, your body is a gift that you have the opportunity and responsibility to cherish. So love it, enjoy it, and respect it. Today is a new day and a chance to see EVERYTHING with new eyes. Seize the opportunity to love yourself a little bit better today because we are never promised tomorrow. Today I choose to love this body, no matter what the scale says! I hope you will too.
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