Dear Body, There’s Something You Need to Know…

Dear Body,

I can’t believe I’ve never said this before. My dear body, it’s long overdue, but you need to hear this from me. You need to know that you are magnificent. You need to know that I love you.

You are incredibly beautiful. All of you—every expanded stretch of skin, every inch is a miracle. I finally see you for what you are. A beautiful manifestation of my profound humanness. You are part of me, and finally I can see the truth: You are not the enemy. You never were.

For years I would pinch you, cry out into the dark night, praying for a thinner body, a different frame, a smaller stomach. I hated myself because I despised you. I prayed for you to be different, thought my life would be better when you were “not you” but smaller, thinner, not so chubby, not thick or round. I wanted you to change. I needed you to change in order for me to have a confidence in self. But the miracle came not in you changing but in the change in my heart. For the first time in my 35 years of life, I finally see you for you. The glorious aspect of being human that you are.

You, dear body, are a gift to this world. Why? Because there is no other body in this entire world exactly like you. You are one of a kind, and I celebrate you for all that you have endured.

For three decades I blamed everything wrong in my life on you. It was always your fault. I thought you were the source of my pain. If only you were smaller, thinner, more firm, we would be liked and then we would get that promotion and that man would call us back. It was easier to blame you than to look inward and address my real pain, that perhaps it wasn’t about you ever, but it was about me and my need to accept myself. It was easier to blame you than to admit I was settling in areas of my life. It was much easier to focus on what was wrong with you than what was wrong in my life: the relationships that weren’t fulfilling, the job that sucked my soul, the low bank account, the unmet expectations. I could avoid it all as long as I focused on my distain for you. You made it easy to run from what I need most: self-love.

For 30 solid years you accepted the punishment, the self-inflected pain, the emotional abuse. I am sorry. Please forgive me for using you to run from myself.

It was never you. You, my dear body, are a glorious part of me. In all that you do, you help me be me. Without you I wouldn’t be here. For decades I thought it was your fault—even still, you stayed by my side. You helped me dream bigger, reach for more, and play with the world in new ways never before explored.

You are my protector. My house. My temple. You have allowed me to do things I could have never achieved without you. I am thankful for you. You, dear body, hold my heart, the one that told me to listen to its intuitive guidance and leave my depression and corporate career behind so I could discover my passion as a writer. You held my heart, the one that cast a net out to reach for bigger dreams.You, dear body, have the hands to help me type my thoughts out into form.

You, my dear body, have a smile that brings me joy when it is expressed. You, my dear body, hold my brain, the one that overthinks and analyzes life in a way that gives me a deep filled passion for what is possible. You, dear body, have stood by my side, daily embracing me for me. It’s time for me to accept you for you as you are. Not when you lose more weight, not when you meet your soul mate, not when you get the new book deal—NOW, body, I accept and love you right now.

Today you are larger than you’ve ever been, but you have more awareness, love, and passion for life than you eve thought possible. Today you are you. And I admit, I like us. Together we make a pretty good team. I’d much rather travel through this life as friends. I surrender to all that you are. I am no longer participating in the war I casted on to myself. I am no longer negotiating with my insecurities.

Today, I am thankful for you. For without you I wouldn’t be me. The years of hate helped me find love. You helped me become more compassionate, more loving, more understanding, and more patient. You, dear body, have taught me how to be me in a world that wants me to be different than I am, you have given me the courage to be authentically me.

I promise to love you as you are in each moment of our life. I will speak kindly to you and practice compassion. I will treat you with respect and trust your guidance. I promise to be your friend and love you the way you are.

Dear body, I am thankful for you. Because out of our struggles I have found my strength, I’ve found a true friend, and together we can do so much more. I’m on your side now. I choose to accept you and love you for all that you have been, all that you are, and all that you are becoming.

Thank you for being you, all of you, as you are, because stretch marks, extra padding, chubby cheeks, and all, I embrace you, because without you, we wouldn’t be here. I love you, dear body. You are me and part of my experience of life.

Together we can do so much more than I ever could without you. You are my guide, my trusted advisor, my friend. Dear body, thank you for being you, because you are magnificent.