gratitude day 3: my body

i'm grateful for my body. the too big parts, the too small parts, the adult acne and hypersensitivity too.

i can hear music. i can see beauty. i can taste cafe rio's chicken salad. i can run and not be weary, walk and not faint.

i remember a specific moment. i was in 7th grade, examining a picture of myself with intense dismay. look how skinny my calves are. look how big my thighs are. [i think i weighed 80 pounds.] look how flat my chest is. i spent the next decade obsessing about the imperfections of my body.

what happened? there was no angel, no trumpets sounding, no sudden realization of the truth. instead somewhere along the way i began to appreciate the things my body allows me to do. how miraculous it is.

i played a piano solo at a funeral with that body. i fought off an infection, typed a novel, kissed mr. coleman, cooked a meal, hugged a grieving friend with that body. i danced. i ran 13.1 miles.

i grew four babies in that body, shapeshifting each time, four perfect miracles. i nursed those babies for four years, altogether.

four years.

i am grateful for the miracle of my physical body, vessel for my spirit, the too big parts, the too small parts and all.