a little letter to my body.

Dear Body,

Thank you for being a good body. Thank you for being tall, which came in handy when a tiny old lady asked me to reach for something on the top shelf at Smith's this week. Thank you for healing so quickly when I'm sick or when I don't treat you like I should. Thank you for having the endurance to get me where I need to go, and the brainpower to help me figure out what I want to do. Thank you for being so forgiving when today at work I felt lightheaded and shaky and needed to eat and all I could find was a bag of Cheetos.

Thank you for being so forgiving. Sometimes I do stupid things to you {and bruise FAR too easily}, but you are quick to forgive me and get better. Thank you for so far avoiding any extreme health problems. I'm hoping that's something we can continue to avoid together.

Thank you for helping me become more comfortable with you. For years I didn't like my curly/wavy/frizzy/flat brown hair or my Barbara Streisand nose, but I'm learning that they are what make me special. 

Please remember how powerful you feel after a good run or a good yoga class. Don't let shin splints or the tall, skinny blond who masters every hand to big toe pose {or if I want to sound obnoxious, the Utthita Hasta Padangustasana}, and who always seems to stand right in your line of vision, tell you otherwise. Remember the years of dance you trained yourself in, and how you pushed and stretched and leapt to make yourself the best you could be. You can do that again. 

Please remember that you don't handle stress well, so get rid of it. Remember how your face starts to resemble that of a 15 year old boy when you stress. Eliminate it. Remember, body, that you need sleep. A Coke right before bed isn't going to do anything for you except make you grumpy and keep you wide awake until 4am. And don't forget to take your vitamins and drink lots of chocolate milk. They're good for you.  

I'm sorry, body, for some of the wacko diets I've put you through. We never went through anything too crazy together, but I know sometimes you need a cheeseburger instead of a side salad for dinner. And that's completely okay.

I love you, body. Here's to hopefully many more years watching you grow and change.

Love,
Me