The Life of a Vehicle (Point #11)
Today I am grateful for the chance to run a half-marathon with my husband in the middle of a Minnesota winter. (I am saying that with a smile on my face.) I'm grateful we have the attire to keep us warm on a morning with below zero windchill. (I guarantee we will be wearing more than we are wearing in my profile picture.) I am also grateful for a much-needed nap.
Point of clarity #11: My body is just a vehicle. The life in it is what counts. But I take care of both.
Some people take better care of their actual vehicles of transportation than they do of their own bodies, their earthly vehicles. I try not to be in that category, though my sugar consumption would sometimes indicate otherwise. But I used to be in that category.
When I was younger, I drank to excess and smoked cigarettes. Not very good self-care there. But let's face it, when we are young we feel invincible and sometimes act recklessly. There has been one area that I have always honored in self-care. That is exercise. So it is fitting that this is today's point of clarity. Darcy and I will be running the Securian Frozen Half-Marathon in St. Paul later this morning. Our training mileage in recent months hasn't left us feeling terribly prepared, but experience tells us we should be able to cover the distance. One step at a time.
Our physical bodies are just vehicles, but we sure put a lot of emphasis of what they look like. I will try not to get on my soapbox for too long, but I have to express some concern and disdain. Culturally speaking, we seem way too hung up on exteriors to the detriment of our interiors. I am a low maintenance gal when it comes to upkeep. I don't wear make-up or much designer apparel. Sure I care about how I look and what I wear, but I believe that the root of our beauty is our heart and soul and they emerge in our smile, our eyes, the way we carry ourselves.
I did not arrive at this conclusion until I was in my mid-thirties, after years of work in recovery, and marriage and motherhood were added to my life experience. With my cancer diagnosis and bilateral mastectomies at age 43, my view of my body changed, but I am more comfortable in my own skin than I have ever been. I can't say how others feel or what they may think when they see me flat-chested-in reality most probably don't even notice- but it just doesn't matter to me. That has been four years in the making though. And I feel for women who are caught up in what others think and what society seems to demand. If they make decisions based on that, as opposed to making decisions their heart and soul point to, that is unfortunate.
Sorry for digressing a bit in this post. Clearly the key word in this point of clarity is life. Sweet life. Gratitude is so helpful in helping me appreciate life, the big and little gifts in life, and just life itself.If I take life for granted, mine and others, I will miss out on so much appreciation and grace. And that appreciation leads to little moments of joy and happiness throughout the day. Gratitude makes a difference. Life makes a difference. I try not to forget either.
Point of clarity #11: My body is just a vehicle. The life in it is what counts. But I take care of both.
Some people take better care of their actual vehicles of transportation than they do of their own bodies, their earthly vehicles. I try not to be in that category, though my sugar consumption would sometimes indicate otherwise. But I used to be in that category.
When I was younger, I drank to excess and smoked cigarettes. Not very good self-care there. But let's face it, when we are young we feel invincible and sometimes act recklessly. There has been one area that I have always honored in self-care. That is exercise. So it is fitting that this is today's point of clarity. Darcy and I will be running the Securian Frozen Half-Marathon in St. Paul later this morning. Our training mileage in recent months hasn't left us feeling terribly prepared, but experience tells us we should be able to cover the distance. One step at a time.
Our physical bodies are just vehicles, but we sure put a lot of emphasis of what they look like. I will try not to get on my soapbox for too long, but I have to express some concern and disdain. Culturally speaking, we seem way too hung up on exteriors to the detriment of our interiors. I am a low maintenance gal when it comes to upkeep. I don't wear make-up or much designer apparel. Sure I care about how I look and what I wear, but I believe that the root of our beauty is our heart and soul and they emerge in our smile, our eyes, the way we carry ourselves.
I did not arrive at this conclusion until I was in my mid-thirties, after years of work in recovery, and marriage and motherhood were added to my life experience. With my cancer diagnosis and bilateral mastectomies at age 43, my view of my body changed, but I am more comfortable in my own skin than I have ever been. I can't say how others feel or what they may think when they see me flat-chested-in reality most probably don't even notice- but it just doesn't matter to me. That has been four years in the making though. And I feel for women who are caught up in what others think and what society seems to demand. If they make decisions based on that, as opposed to making decisions their heart and soul point to, that is unfortunate.
Sorry for digressing a bit in this post. Clearly the key word in this point of clarity is life. Sweet life. Gratitude is so helpful in helping me appreciate life, the big and little gifts in life, and just life itself.If I take life for granted, mine and others, I will miss out on so much appreciation and grace. And that appreciation leads to little moments of joy and happiness throughout the day. Gratitude makes a difference. Life makes a difference. I try not to forget either.
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