There were years...actually probably only months...of my life when I thought I was too thin.
Finally, at age 32, I truly think that my body is just right.
The reason I am not at all concerned with my body...with what it looks like or what others may think of it...has nothing to do with whether I am in actual fact too fat or too thin.
I simply do not have the time to consider my body as anything other than a device that lets me live my life and realise my dreams.
When I was younger, I used to spend hours looking in the mirror...pondering my stomach, poking at my thighs.
These days I don't own a scale or a full length mirror.
Reflecting on my life and my body, I have realised that the times in my life when I have been happiest with my body are those times when I have given it the least amount of thought.
Now, with a husband, a toddler, a dog, a job, a blog and great friends, life is absolutely too wonderfully full to give my body any deliberate attention.
And as a result I am satisfied with my body.
It lets me do what I want to do and I am happy with that.
I work as a registered nurse and at work I see people whose bodies have been hurt, whose bodies are fighting and whose bodies have given up.
Either gradually or suddenly, their lives have become limited by their bodies.
So I am more than simply satisfied with my body, I am grateful for my body.
I walk.
I talk.
I read.
I cook.
I hug my husband.
I pet my dog.
I conceived, carried and delivered a baby.
I now watch, astonished, as my baby learns to walk and to talk and to read.
My body has failed me only once.
I had an extremely acute case of appendicitis and ended up hospitalised for three weeks.
I did not cope well with the limitations put on me by my infected body.
There were tears. Too many tears.
There were tears because I couldn't wash my own hair...I couldn't bend my arms because of the IV lines.
There were tears because of the pain.
There were tears because I couldn't pick up my then four month old son.
There were tears because I was frustrated that my body had failed me.
There were tears because I had lived my entire life without ever appreciating or recognising what my body enabled me to do and to experience.
No matter what it may look like, I heart my body for being a functioning, healthy body that houses a happy soul.
I am linking up with all the others who love their bodies for We Heart Life's 2012 I Heart My Body campaign.
You are just a ... bohemian beauty!
ReplyDeleteYou have a beautiful exterior, & an incredible interior! Studying, wanting to forward yourself in life, & teaching your son every good lesson along the way.
Don't change, because you're beautiful :)
x
Great post. Thank you for sharing! xxx
ReplyDeleteI think you are so SO beautiful. xx
ReplyDeleteWhen our bodies fail like us like that, I think, is the moment that we actually learn to love and appreciate them a little bit more. We realise how great they are, when they arent being great at all!
ReplyDeleteYou are beautiful x
What a wonderful post. Appreciating our bodies for what they are and looking after them is so important. x
ReplyDeleteSo good to hear how much you love your body - with all the negativity that is out there about body image - it is so refreshing !
ReplyDeleteThank you ! Have the best day !
Me
PS - popping over from TT
Sometimes, too much f the time we take for granted the things our body does! Thank you for the reminder
ReplyDeleteGreat photos :) I'm in a similar state of mind - I just don't think about my body in terms of its 'failings' any more. I'm happy with it, and there are much more entertaining things to consider than the state of my thighs :)
ReplyDeleteBeautiful post, it really puts it into perspective doesn't it? Form is never more important than function, thanks for the reminder x
ReplyDeleteGreat post! I think you've got the right attitude!
ReplyDeleteWhat I'm loving about all the #iheartmybody posts is the openness and honesty. You are totally beautiful xx
ReplyDeleteYour body helps save bodies.. now that rocks!! x
ReplyDeleteYou certainly do rock scrubs and iron aprons! Love your attitude :)
ReplyDeleteBeing healthy is a much under-valued thing! You look happy, and healthy, and beautiful!
ReplyDeleteAnd then moment when it's juuuuust right..! So great. So wonderful. Great post.
ReplyDeletePerfectly perfect! Smile and be proud!! :D
ReplyDeleteWell said. As a nurse you must see an awful lot that makes you grateful for what just is.
ReplyDeleteGood point!! I guess when you face trauma every day you would appreciate your body, for it just being there for you. Jac @ Common Chaos Chronicle xox
ReplyDeleteHello gorgeous, happy you! Health is so important, we are so lucky to have it!
ReplyDeleteYou call it a device, I call it a vessel, either way I agree, there just isn't the time to be hung up on it! Looking fine in those scrubs girl hahaha ;-)
ReplyDeleteI love this post! x
ReplyDeleteAmazing what a bit of context does to make us appreciate what we have. you have a great attitude towards your body :)
ReplyDeleteMy God girl - look at your fabulous legs lol. seriously rocking! you have an amazing body hun and an equally beautiful attitude and perspective. In my opinion it is all about the soul - a happy kind soul xx
ReplyDeleteAmazing post and oh so true! Thank you for sharing!
ReplyDeleteThis is such an interesting way to look at it! I don't think there has ever been a time where my body has just faded into the background thoughts of my mind like that. Hmm this is bringing up some interesting thoughts. Might have to this about this one! Thanks for the thought-provoking post!
ReplyDeleteA beautiful post from a gorgeous you.
ReplyDeleteWhat you wrote resonates with me too - my body is a device (or vessel as the above commenter said) that lets me live in the fullness of life and realise my dreams too.
Wow you look amazing!!
ReplyDeleteWould have been incredibly hard to not be able to pick up your baby!
(PoTMC)
I'm with Sophie - you look amazing! I remember a friend telling me that she wished she could go back to herself aged 19 and tell her to go swimming and not worry about her body at the beach, because it only gets worse! And I guess it does, but I think as you age you can accept your faults with a little more grace than under the microscope of your own harsh teenager judgement. xx (PoTMC)
ReplyDeleteYour body looks just super! I'm on a post baby diet just now, just trying to get the BMI back in the healthy range really. But there's nothing like carrying and delivering babies to make me feel how great my body is, even if its more squashy than it should be!
ReplyDeleteVisiting from PoTMC :-)
Perfect! And so lovely to hear that your body houses a happy soul x
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