A couple weeks ago a writer posted online that she was interested in hearing women's stories about when we first remember loving our bodies. It was an intriguing question and I sent off my response. This week Natasha Burton's article was published on MSN and is called "How to Feel Comfortable in Your Own Skin."
The story I sent (see above!) is was one of 11 that are used in the article. I appreciated hearing what the other women had to say about how they came to love their own bodies. One women said that she got tired of finding things wrong with her body and decided to find things she was grateful for about it. Another said that she wanted to model self-love for her daughter so she practiced it herself. Someone else focused on the simple pleasures her body provided. These stories inspired me to want to hear from people in my own life — not just women— what you love and appreciate about your own body.
After all, it is really easy in this culture of "not good enough" to berate our bodies for what they're not. But what happens when we turn our attention to what our bodies are to us: How they serve us, how they carry us, how they express who we are?
So would you be willing to take a few minutes and think about something you love and appreciate about your body and tell me your story via the comments below or by emailing me? I'd love to hear!
Just to get you started on that assignment — as you are reading the last lines of the blog, can you also focus your attention on your breath entering and exiting your body. Breathing in, breathing out. Like magic. Nothing we have to do. Our bodies breathe us. They breathe for us. They want us to live.
Looking forward to hearing from you!