In THIS body

(Note-none of these photos are of me) Via

Truth: my body is healthy

Truth: sometimes I hate it.

Some days I feel extra puffy, too curvy, overweight, disgusted with myself. Some days I feel healthy, strong, fit and happy. There's no constant to how I feel about my body, really, and I know a lot of others who feel the same way. I don't know how to relate to my physical being. If I tell my boyfriend I'm unhappy with my body, he offers suggestions of how I can make changes to become happy. This is not a flaw on his part. I present a problem, he presents a solution. The disconnect is that the real problem, as I see it, is not my body itself. I could work out more, eat less, lose weight, sure I could, I have. But that's not a solution, because my body isn't the problem.

No, the real problem is that I know that even if I did those things, my thoughts wouldn't change. There will always be things to dislike. I am too short, curvy by nature, while I enjoy the tall and lithe. I have stretch marks on my thighs-never mind that they come from the growth of muscle I experienced as a competitive figure skater, something arguably healthy and nothing to be ashamed of. My nose will always have a bump, my hair won't lay right. There will always be days where I can't stand to see myself in the mirror and days where I think dang, I look hot this morning. 

The problem isn't physical. So how can I fix it?

I don't know if I ever will "fix" it. But I am trying to wake up every day and learn to find contentment in THIS body. THIS body that I have right this minute. Whether I wake up feeling ugly or wake up feeling beautiful, my actual body is the same, and my ability to live in it and live a worthwhile day is not affected.

Via

And you know what?

In THIS body I earned three university degrees.

In THIS body I met and fell in love with my fiance.

In THIS body I have traveled the U.S. THIS body has climbed mountains, swam in oceans, hiked trails, camped out, skied, skated.

In THIS body I have loved, hated, given, taken, helped, harmed, learned, read, hoped, dreamed and been...happy.

In THIS body I have lived and like it or not in THIS body I will die. I wouldn't trade the body I have for a different one if it meant living a different life. 

No. In THIS body I will be content. In THIS body I will be happy. I won't always wake up loving myself, but whether I feel ugly or beautiful, I will remind myself each morning to be happy in THIS body and to love THIS body that enables me to live the life I love. I will treat my body with care, and if it is healthy, then that will be enough.

Via

*All of the above images are from the "Beautiful Body" project by Jade Beall. I encourage you to check our her website for essays and images of people finding beauty in their bodies just the way they already are.

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