Reason #6 to Love My Body: Because It Serves Me Well
I'm a fortunate person. I have a mind and a brain and I'm not afraid to use them (most of the time). I am compassionate and I am understanding. Most of all, I'm relatively injury and illness free. I have friends and family members who have the most pressing medical issues -- multiple types of cancer, heart disease, rheumatoid arthritis, fibromyalgia...the list goes on and on. And, while I sit here whining about not being able to do a perfect squat, some of them are unable to lift themselves out of a chair without monumental pain. Some of them are unable to go through a day without even the help of pain medication. Some of them have died on operating tables in the last year. Some of them have been denied for organ transplants. Some of them I may never see again because their health issues are so severe. And again, here I am sitting here whining about my "difficult life." My life may have hardships and difficulties, but they are NOTHING like what some of my friends and family go through. My fortunate self has a million things that my body CAN do...
- walk to the park with my daughters
- enjoy making love to my husband (yes...this is #2 on the list!)
- make and enjoy waffles for breakfast
- sit at Starbucks at drink a latte in the sun
- drive myself across town through traffic to work at a very physical job
- deadlift 200 pounds
- bench press 105 pounds (new PR!!!)
- carry three loads of laundry up the stairs
- sleep a full night without waking up
- dance the night away
- race my daughter to the steps to school (and win occasionally)
- carry suitcases through an airport
- walk around an amusement park for an entire day
- enjoy a meal out with my family
- go hiking with friends
- climb to the top of the pamper pole at Camp Mary Orton (even if I'm too afraid to jump off)
- hike all over Cape Verde in my Vibrams
- execute a squat so well on the side of a cliff when hiking in Cape Verde that I don't even pee on my shoes (this is why squats are functional)
- laugh with my best friends over something silly
- console my best friends with hugs over something sad
- shovel snow
- climb on a stepstool to get that exact coffee mug that I want
- PLAY!!!
In short, my body can do all sorts of mundane things that I take for granted on a daily basis. So, when I feel the urge to whine about something I HAVE to do (like go to the gym or make dinner or take my kids to the park) or something I DON'T GET to do (like park really close to the building or have a quick commute to work), I remind myself that these are silly problems to have. My body does not have cancer. My body is not in constant pain from a degenerative disease. My heart is not breaking down from years of hard wear and tear. My body still continues to serve me well. And hopefully it will continue to do so for many years.
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