to my body;

I'm in for a rough week. Math three times this week (gross), plus a math TEST (grosser), two essays + work everrrry day. Oh, what a life.
I've had something of a writing block lately. Or more, I've felt no desire to write. I haven't actually TRIED to write on this blog for a little bit. Which is just fine by me. But today I was sitting at church and my sister showed me this quote. I've seen it before but every time it almost makes me cry. It feels almost sacred.
 As a woman, or a person really, I know that we humans like to hate on ourselves quite a bit. And it doesn't mean we all have eating disorders or think our self worth is crippling or we hate ourselves. It's the media. It's life. It's what we do, and I think we'd be lying if one of us said they've never looked at their body and whispered the word "ew" about something.
We're taught to hate rolls, and bumps, and red spots, and asymmetrical anything. And we're taught to love something that essentially doesn't exist: perfection. Which means, we're taught to hate ourselves. That is really depressing and quite sad, considering someone, or something, great and all-knowing made us with so much love and wisdom--we should be nothing but grateful to walk, to run, to leap, and to laugh. But instead, we sit in front of a mirror and pinch, pull and prod ourselves until we're in tears.  

But today, I'm going to think of other things.
Instead of wishing for a thigh gap, a flat stomach with abs, toned arms and tan skin, I'm going to be grateful.
I'm going to be grateful that I can walk mountains and hike with ease. And I'm going to be grateful that I can run, and run far and fast.
I'm going to be grateful that I can laugh, and that I can laugh hard and loud and collapse with happiness. I'm going to be grateful that my lungs can fill themselves with air, and that I can inhale and exhale without help.
I'm going to be grateful that my arms can hug, and that I can be hugged. That I can transfer love to another human. That I can hold my husband's hand. And I'm going to be grateful that one day, I'll be able to hold a baby of my own with my arms that know how to love.
And I'm going to be grateful that when I look into a mirror, I can see my father's eyes and my mother's smile.
I'm going to be grateful that I have a heartbeat, and that I can hear the heartbeats of my loved ones. That I can hear laughter and feel tears. That I can smile, and talk. That I can see the stars, the mountains, and the faces of those I care for.

I'm going to be grateful that when I walk in the mountains, when I laugh, when my lungs fill with air,  I can see the person that created me, and I can feel His love for me.