My beloved husband is so thoughtful and caring. For the past seven weeks as I’ve been recovering from a PE and not able to do much around the house, he’s taken good care of me. When he’s been up moving around the house and I’ve been resting on the couch, he would often ask, “Can I get you anything?” to which I would often reply, “A new body.”

I could name all the reasons for my saying that, as I’m sure you could name your own. We are taught at a young age to compare our bodies to others’ and absorb a mindset of our body not being “enough” – thin enough, tall enough, strong enough, pretty enough, etc. To make it worse, as we age and/or encounter health situations, our bodies experience unwelcome changes and pain, sometimes chronic. So we yearn for a new body. People on all economic levels spend tons of money trying to fix their bodies…and never quite feel ______“enough.” People fixate on bumps and pounds and calories and diets…and never quite feel ______”enough.”

Well …

I’m realizing that I’m not going to get a new body. So instead, I’m learning to appreciate the one I have. Because it IS enough. (So is yours, by the way)

Today I rejoined a gym and did an hour of cardio. This is no small accomplishment for someone who survived a PE seven weeks ago. And I was overwhelmed with gratitude for…my body. The ability to move my body. The sweat, the muscle-popping, the elevated heart rate – all of it, not to be taken for granted, because I didn’t know if I’d ever be able to do it again.

So today I am thankful for my body. I’m thankful that it can sing and play musical instruments. I’m thankful my body has freckles and tans easily. I’m thankful for my beautiful smile and my naturally curly hair.

Take a moment to appreciate your body.
Give thanks to God for your body.

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Here are some resources that may help:

The Body is Not An Apology
The Body Keeps The Score
Celebrate Your Body (The Ultimate Puberty Book for Girls)
The Gifts of Imperfection
List of Body Positive Books from Choosing Therapy
Lessons for Exploring Body Image w/Children
A Guide For Young People: Body Image