Today – I have read – is Love My Body Day. I’ve read some good posts on ways people want to love their bodies here and here (including a stunning video by Joy Tanksley).
While this doesn’t seem like a typical post for my blog, I want to examine the idea for a moment, as an exercise in changing the way we think about things – which IS one of the aims of my blog. While many of the posts today seem to focus on moving away from the angst and love/hate relationship that many of us have with our bodies – and beauty and attractiveness and body image (perhaps mostly in the US),
I think it’s a good day to remember the fantastic way our bodies handle the mundane, overlooked, ordinary things of life.
For example:
- I love the fact that I can smell the difference between good milk and slightly off milk – regardless of the date on the carton. (I can also smell when someone who shall remain anonymous has forgotten to flush)
- I can hear the difference between a baby’s cry for hunger or attention – and its cry when it’s hurt or scared. (well, except for my daughter’s cries. She learned as an infant that screaming like a banshee was the quickest way to get service. Thank goodness she grew out of that.) I can also still hear when the kids have the TV on really, really low, hoping I won’t notice.
- I can feel the difference between cheap, scratchy yarn and . . . cashmere. Wow.
- When I slow down, I can taste and enjoy the amazing flavor of oranges – and I notice the oily, chemical flavor of packaged cookies. Ok, the chemical flavor is subtle, and it DOES pair with sweet and yummy can’t resist sometimes. But it’s there if you slow down to notice.
- I can see – and appreciate – the way light makes my kids’ hair glow, the tiny shadows that help us see three dimensions in drawings – and the drop of mustard on my son’s shirt on picture day.
- I love the way my heart feels when I’m standing in the middle of the choir – and everyone is singing some fantastic piece of old music just right, and all the voices are blending into a lyrical, awesome celebration.
- I love the way fall feels cold and crisp on the edges, warm and cozy on the inside.
- I love being able to run through a corn maze with my kids.
- I love the feeling of belly laughs, cuddles and gross, slurpy kisses from my dog. and my kids.
- I love the feeling of books and the sights, sounds and smells of book stores and libraries.
- I love the fact that my body WORKS. I can walk and talk and run and play. I can eat (and eliminate!) and itch and scratch. I can bleed – and donate blood. I can feel so good – and feel so bad. What a miracle.
There are so many reasons – and ways – to love our bodies.
What do YOU love about your body?
Ami
p.s. – if you liked this post, please consider sharing.
Posted in: Uncategorized
Becky Blanton
October 20, 2010
I love the way my body leaves pockets of heat on my sheets and when I roll over in the morning my essence and heat has warmed the sheets. I love the way my body sweats on the treadmill in the morning when I’m trying to catch my breath and burn calories. I love the way my emotions course through my body, grounding me in whatever experience I’m in. I love the smell of woodsmoke, of fresh soap, clean laundry and my wet dog when she runs in out of the rain. Every sense I have is a reason to appreciate and luxuriate in my body!
Ami
October 20, 2010
@Becky: Perfect! On the heat on sheets – I’m the opposite. I love to slide my feet over to the cool pockets and swish them around until they warm up
And sweat – especially hard earned sweat – makes me feel alive.
Joy Tanksley
October 20, 2010
Oh, Ami, this is beautiful. BEAUTIFUL. Your words are going to play through my mind for a long time to come. I’m setting an intention to notice and really reflect on all the quriky little things I appreciate about my body today.
Ami
October 20, 2010
@Joy – it’s easy to forget that ‘body’ means more than appearance and attractiveness. But I have friends who are disabled who help me appreciate the mundane parts of my body.
Robin Taylor
October 20, 2010
I love the way my body can do amazing things, like lifting a 50 pound bag of concrete or our 90 pound puppy, on command, without hesitation. And yeah, I’m 5’4″. On the flipside, I love that my body has enough respect for itself to tell me when enough is enough. I love how my legs feel after a long bike ride. I love how I can tune my guitar or mandolin by ear.
Ami
October 20, 2010
@Robin: You have an amazing body! You’ve earned the exit row seat on the plane (the flight attendants always look at me dubiously when I sit there and ask, “Are you SURE you can lift 40 lbs?” Why is that I wonder?)
Jean Sampson
October 20, 2010
Hi Ami—–cool post!
I am a visual artist so I really love seeing color and putting colors together on a canvas. I also love the sensuality of a drawn line, a smudge of charcoal, the feel of a polished wood carving.
I, too, like the feel of hard-earned sweat.
I like to sing in the shower and I also love the feeling of being squeaky -clean when the show is done.
I love the total relaxation I feel when I sit napping in front of the TV with my cat snuggled on my lap.
Ami
October 21, 2010
@Jean: Awesome ways to enjoy your body! There really is something magical about using charcoal and paint – why do kids get to do this routinely but not adults?
Jean Sampson
October 21, 2010
I also love to belly laugh till I cry or just giggle at silly typos like the one above. I HOPE my singing in the shower is not a show!
Ami
October 21, 2010
If it’s a show – someone else’s senses get some enjoyment, too, I suppose.
Jean at The Delightful Repast
October 22, 2010
Ami, you and Joy (with her amazing video) have covered this topic so well that I don’t feel the need to add a single thought! Your comment “it’s easy to forget that ‘body’ means more than appearance and attractiveness” sums it up. Wouldn’t life be grand if everyone would realize that? Think what marvels could be accomplished in the time (and with the money) that people spend perfecting their appearance.
Ami
October 22, 2010
@Most Delightful Jean: Yes! Think of the sublime food we could eat if we spent our cosmetics and beauty budget on good eats
(or the experiences and travel we could have, or the classes we could take, or . . . )
Ami Mattison
October 29, 2010
Ami, I’m so glad I read this post today. It’s a fabulous reminder that our bodies are miraculous, and I so love your examples of those miracles that I really don’t have much to add. But suffice it to say that today, I’m grateful my body is still alive and still working.
Ami
October 29, 2010
@Ami: Indeed – feeling gratitude, rather than embarrassment or self-consciousness, is a great way to love your body. Thanks for stopping by.
matt
December 1, 2010
makes me want to drink alchoholic beverages
Ami
December 1, 2010
@matt: love the glug, glug, glugging sound coming from your part of the virtual-sphere