while also possessing the ability to transform: a student to a graduate, an athlete to a champion, a house to a home, a boyfriend to a husband...
Medals. Halos. Dresses. Colors. Shoes. (my personal favorite). Uniforms. Sunglasses. Cars. Instruments. Diamonds. Pearls. Rings. Earrings. Bracelets. Purses...
Labels. Life seems to be defined by them. True Religion. Seven. Coach. Guess. Calvin Klein... Apple. IBM. Dell.... Mercedes Benz. Lexus. Porsche...blonde, brunette, fat, skinny..."The Writer." "The Farmer." "The Accountant" and my personal favorite: "The Nurse."
Which leads to: waxing, tweezing, botox, hightlights, lowlights, veneers, whitening, extensions, cleansing, juicing, laser, manicures, pedicures, jeans, purses, cars...
Funny how accessories automatically imply things, stuff, gyms, salons; Instead of personality, confidence, intelligence, emotion.
Which brings me to my main point. Every day, I hear people, especially women, say, "I hate my arms." "I wish I had her legs." "How do I get rid of my muffin top?" "Have you tried this new diet pill?" All focusing on parts of their body they want to change. Hide. Get rid of.
It breaks my heart to hear this. Of course, we all have insecurities about ourselves. But I have come to learn this is a lesson in perspective. Everyday as nurse, I deal with people who's bodies have failed them: their heart suddenly can't beat regularly, their breathing becomes impaired, their kidneys fail, cancer has invaded...things that we all take for granted...until they suddenly become unreliable. It makes things like muffin tops and cellulite seem silly; irrelevant.
That's the funny thing about life. You don't know what you got...til it's gone. You don't realize how great your assets are, until they suddenly stop serving their purpose.
To all you women out there: I encourage you to love your body. Stop focusing on 'what's wrong' and start tuning in to 'what's right.' Think of them as your assets. It is the only thing in life that is Ours. And only Ours. Uniquely Ours. Never to be replicated. Never to be duplicated. We constantly praise our purses, our shoes, our jeans...but rarely our legs, our arms, our abs, our strengths. Strange. Weird. WHY?
We are our own worst critics. Take it from someone who has finally learned to love her body. I think of all the time I've wasted worrying about my arms, my abs, my butt...and then I come across a picture from when i was younger, thinking: dang! I looked good. (Come on, admit it, you have done this too.) I totally should've bared my midriff. Coulda, Woulda, Shoulda...Didn't. Why?
Lesson #1: Cherish what you have today, because tomorrow you're gonna wish you had it.
Throughout my travels, my encounters, my discoveries, I have come to realize: Beauty comes in all forms, all shapes, and all sizes. But what truly defines beauty and makes it shine is personality coupled with confidence. Together they trump True Religion and Coach any day. Hands down, the best accessories we will ever possess.
Tonight: Ponder what it is you love about your body. Cherish it. Embrace it. Maybe even Flaunt it.
