Hello there - I just created this blog - I've been wanting to do this for some time now. For most of my life (almost 39 years) I have kept a journal, which stopped pretty abruptly the moment my first child was born over four years ago. I've missed that part of my life, so I decided to go into the 21st century and "blog".
A little about me - my name is Lisa, I'm almost 39 years old, married to David (age 50), stay at home mom to two children, Benny age 4 and Alexa age 2. I'm also stepmom to Tom (24), Mary (21) and John (almost 19). We live in Minneapolis.
I'm training for my 8th marathon (Twin Cities Marathon - 10/5/08), my second since having kids. Many of my musings come from time spent alone while running - time which I spend with myself, like it or not. During the week I typically run alone, while my weekend long run is usually spent with the company of my running buddies. The first musing I want to share here came to me actually while I was biking with my two kids in tow in the Burley.......
I LOVE MY BODY. Now, before you start thinking that I a.) have a beautiful body or b.) am narcissistic or c.) both, please know that this isn't about the aesthetics of my body. The reality is that I am 5'1.75", tipping the scales at about 125 #, and have a tendency toward the round, short-legged frumpiness that is the stuff of my Italian and Eastern European Jewish ancestors (think hunched over little grandma in her babushka, although I am not hunched over, yet). My breasts never grew up, they grew down from the word go, so they're really none worse for the wear of having nursed my children for 5 years collectively (my son for 3 years 2 months and my daughter for 2 years 4 months and yes with a 1 year 4 month overlap where I nursed them concurrently). I have an extra pooch on my stomach and a small tire around my hips. Cellulite festoons my lower rear end, saddlebags in essence. I'm not fat really by today's standards, but not certainly not svelte.
But I love my body. I love what it can do for me......I am strong - I can run a marathon, my legs, have carried me thousands of miles via walking, marathon training, have traversed many a beautiful place during the course of my travels throughout my life, particularly in my twenties; I can bike many a mile with two children in tow, I can run 5 miles while pushing my two not so light children in a jogging stroller, I can lift, I can do a Pilates or Yoga workout; my body has given life to two whole separate beings, and then nourished them, and frankly, more than a few men have taken pleasure in my body. I can get up and do pretty much anything I set my mind to. I am so fortunate to have physical ability. That is the gift of my body and what I love about it. I try to remember this as I criticize it for its aesthetic shortcomings. We women are just far too harsh on our bodies. Maybe if we remember to try to derive value from what our bodies do for us rather than their aesthetics, we'll feel better about ourselves.
That's all for now. I hope you all have a great day!
A little about me - my name is Lisa, I'm almost 39 years old, married to David (age 50), stay at home mom to two children, Benny age 4 and Alexa age 2. I'm also stepmom to Tom (24), Mary (21) and John (almost 19). We live in Minneapolis.
I'm training for my 8th marathon (Twin Cities Marathon - 10/5/08), my second since having kids. Many of my musings come from time spent alone while running - time which I spend with myself, like it or not. During the week I typically run alone, while my weekend long run is usually spent with the company of my running buddies. The first musing I want to share here came to me actually while I was biking with my two kids in tow in the Burley.......
I LOVE MY BODY. Now, before you start thinking that I a.) have a beautiful body or b.) am narcissistic or c.) both, please know that this isn't about the aesthetics of my body. The reality is that I am 5'1.75", tipping the scales at about 125 #, and have a tendency toward the round, short-legged frumpiness that is the stuff of my Italian and Eastern European Jewish ancestors (think hunched over little grandma in her babushka, although I am not hunched over, yet). My breasts never grew up, they grew down from the word go, so they're really none worse for the wear of having nursed my children for 5 years collectively (my son for 3 years 2 months and my daughter for 2 years 4 months and yes with a 1 year 4 month overlap where I nursed them concurrently). I have an extra pooch on my stomach and a small tire around my hips. Cellulite festoons my lower rear end, saddlebags in essence. I'm not fat really by today's standards, but not certainly not svelte.
But I love my body. I love what it can do for me......I am strong - I can run a marathon, my legs, have carried me thousands of miles via walking, marathon training, have traversed many a beautiful place during the course of my travels throughout my life, particularly in my twenties; I can bike many a mile with two children in tow, I can run 5 miles while pushing my two not so light children in a jogging stroller, I can lift, I can do a Pilates or Yoga workout; my body has given life to two whole separate beings, and then nourished them, and frankly, more than a few men have taken pleasure in my body. I can get up and do pretty much anything I set my mind to. I am so fortunate to have physical ability. That is the gift of my body and what I love about it. I try to remember this as I criticize it for its aesthetic shortcomings. We women are just far too harsh on our bodies. Maybe if we remember to try to derive value from what our bodies do for us rather than their aesthetics, we'll feel better about ourselves.
That's all for now. I hope you all have a great day!
1 comment:
yay for body love! so well said. i nursed my daughter tashi for three and a half years. the female body in particular, is amazing!
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