“Your body is not a temple. Temples can be destroyed and
desecrated. Your body is a forest – thick canopies of maple trees and sweet
scented wild flowers sprouting in the underwood. You will grow back, over and
over, no matter how badly you are devastated.”
✿ ✿ ✿
If I were ever to compile a list of the things I love in
this world, at the very top of that list would be my body. And I don’t mean
that in a conceited way, it’s just that over time I have learned to appreciate
my body and all the things it does for me. I finally feel comfortable in my own
skin. I have realised that my body puts up with so many of my unhealthy habits
– like my lack of self control when it comes to junk food, my non-existent
exercise routines, and my recklessness that leads to bruised legs and scarred
arms – the least I could do is give it my sincerest of loves.
It wasn’t an easy journey to love my body, especially with
the media telling me otherwise, and it certainly wasn’t something that
happened overnight. Ironically, it was with the help of social media
platforms like Tumblr and Instagram where I began my journey of self-love. Some
(I dare say most) people on the Internet are the most accepting and supportive
people I have ever met, and their ways of promoting body positivity and self-confidence
is what really drew me in. Instead of loathing other people’s bodies and their
confidence in flaunting what they had, I began to appreciate my own, and most
importantly, began to find the parts of my body I once hated to be endearing.
I stopped judging others for posting pictures of their bodies online because I
realised that that’s all they were – BODIES! There was absolutely nothing to
hide; we are all human; we all have nipples, collarbones and stomachs; so why
was I so ashamed of mine?
Not everyone, however, will have the same positive
experience with social media. There will always be people on the Internet that want to
bring others down, but if you drown out all that static noise and irrelevancy and only listen to what
your body wants, then you are well on your way. Make sure you stay hydrated;
make sure you get enough sleep; make sure you’re not sitting on your buttock all day, because your body will reward you.
All those cells in your body are there just to keep you alive; they are there to fight off
your diseases and sicknesses. Your feet and toes are the ones that carry you
through the day; they are the ones that make sure you don’t collapse after
dancing for two hours straight in heels. And your heart, your heart only pumps
day in and day out for you. Even when you feel like it’s broken, it will always
beat for you until the day you die.
At the end of the day, YOU are your longest commitment. So
give your cute tummy a rub and smack that beautiful bum of yours, because you
only ever get one body, and YOUR body is the most purest form of art you will
ever see.
Author: Liv