Loving my Body

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“We don’t shame flowers for being too BIG or too little, too short or too tall, too pink or too red, we just embrace them for their unique beauty…why don’t we start doing that with ourselves?”

I stumbled across this quote a few weeks ago and had an AHA! moment. How often do I judge my body, its size and shape, comparing it to others and to what I perceive to be the ‘ideal’? My husband and I went for a stroll earlier this week and we stopped periodically to examine various flowers that were beginning to bloom. Not once did I make a moral judgement of the flower based on its size or shape. I didn’t compare one to another, exclaiming that the gorgeous camellia down the road should look more like the hibiscus in my backyard. There was no expectation for the bougainvillea to grow more like the snapdragon. I would never tell the sunflower that it was too large and took up too much space and should in fact be closer to the size of a forget-me-not. No, that’s seemed sooo silly! I appreciated each flower and tree for its unique beauty, colour, size, and features. Yet why is it ok for me to expect homogeneity when it comes to the human body? When did there become an ‘ideal template’ from which all other body shapes and sizes are compared? Why do I attach moral judgement or significance to diversity of the human body?

This quote has actually turned out to be an ongoing AHA! moment, as each time I contemplate it, I appreciate the statements simplicity yet acknowledge its profound applications. I created the image below and saved it to my desktop background and phone as a constant reminder of its message. Whether I am a pear, apple, hourglass, inverted triangle, or one of a thousand other variations of body shape, I am beautiful and unique. There is no template or archetype for which I need to aspire to. My beauty is found in being me…in my fullness, gloriousness, splendour and uniqueness of how and who I was created to be. Psalm 139:13-14 says: “You made all the delicate, inner parts of my body and knit me together in my mother’s womb. Thank you for making me so wonderfully complex! Your workmanship is marvellous—how well I know it”. The quote also reminds me of another passage in the Bible that says: “Has anyone by fussing in front of the mirror ever gotten taller by so much as an inch? All this time and money wasted on fashion… walk out into the fields and look at the wildflowers. They never primp or shop, but have you ever seen colour and design quite like it?…“If God gives such attention to the appearance of wildflowers—most of which are never even seen—don’t you think he’ll attend to you, take pride in you, do his best for you?” (Matthew 6:27-30).

Today, I’m going to give it a go…every time a critical or judgemental thought about my body comes into my mind, I’m going to think of the flowers, I’m going to tell myself that I am unique, beautiful and not created to be a die-cut …I’m one-of-a-kind and I’m going to appreciate my body for how it looks RIGHT NOW…not waiting until I’m a certain size or shape, til I’ve gained or lost weight, til I’ve toned or just gotten a little bit closer to some ridiculous meaningless goal. I’m going to love me NOW. Come join me and Love your Body …appreciate it as we appreciate the flowers =D.

xx Sarah

embracing your body

8 Thoughts on Loving my Body

  1. I found it! I love the analogy…the imagery is so powerful and vibrant. Lots percolating here too…and thanks for sharing your thoughts too Fi! Xxx

    Reply
    • Thanks Danni…I think I’ve reminded myself “FLOWERS” at least 15 times a day since I wrote that post 😉 Has been really helpful in beginning to shape and transform my body image and learning to accept and love my unique size and shape.

      Reply
  2. Sometimes the most profound realisations come out of the smallest moments in which we allow ourselves to be open, or the right words or wisdom are planted at a moment when we are ready to receieve them hey 🙂

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  3. I love it Sarah, I can’t fault it. It’s just what i needed to hear too, right now. Love it and love that idea too.
    we actually encourage flowers to bloom to their full potential, nurture them to do so. Celebrate with joy with every new growth. exclaim and wonder over and capture in photographs and art, the differences and variations.
    Even the weeds, someone said to me once, weeds are but plants in the wrong place. Nothing wrong with them.
    I’d love to start celebrating weeds as much as plants – like I deliberately sowed stuff in my garden that would just be grassy/weedy stuff among sunflowers and grains that I couldn’t make use of in the manner I’ve grown them – because shalimar and I have gotten so much pleasure out of them. even if the sunflowers don’t bloom, the greenery has been exciting and made us very very happy 🙂
    many of us see ourselves, treat ourselves, and are treated by others, as weeds.
    time to redefine ‘weeds’. Not even as being in the wrong place, but as being just as wonderful, misunderstood.

    I love the picture.

    All my love <3 <3

    Reply
    • Thanks Fi…love the analogy of the weeds…so very true! I’m thinking about what would happen if every time we had a negative or critical thought about our bodies, we pictured these wildflowers and spoke differently to ourselves…what would life be like if we loved and embraced our bodies? Wow…I reckon I’m up to the experiment… 😉 So many other thoughts percolating right now =D

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      • and if we treated our bodies as we treated the plants we encourage – we seek out the right things for them – nutrients, soil ph, water, sunlight etc – have never heard of anyone restricting nutrients or water for their plant on purpose, because it makes no sense.

        I think it’s an awesome experiment. I’m going to join you 🙂
        i love the premise of health at every size, where it’s about not weight or dieting or anything like that. It’s about health – giving your body what it needs, moving in ways that make it feel good and healthy, and basically looking after it and yourself – and whatever your body size is as a result of that is what it probably was meant to be/wants to be 🙂

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