Thursday 24 June 2010

Signs Of Life



A friend of mine (Kayecee over at Life Over Here) posted this to Facebook today, and I instantly knew I had to share it here. All The Wrinkled Ladies by Anita Renfroe, although seemingly tongue-in-cheek, could actually speak to a lot of women and how they are feeling about their bodies.

I was overweight, seriously overweight, for more than a decade. Once I lost the weight and saw my body once again minus almost 140 pounds in excess fat, I noticed some changes. Some of the changes in my body are the result of having carried and then lost so much weight. Some of the changes are the result of having given birth to seven beautiful children. Some are simply the results of aging.

But even as I work to eradicate some of the changes, as I try to firm up as much of the muscle underneath the loose skin as I can, as I hide my skin from the damaging rays of the sun behind sunblock and hats, and I work to maintain my weight loss, I know that some of the changes are permanent. And I'm okay with that.

The wrinkles next to my eyes and near my mouth are signs that I have had laughter in my life. The stretch marks that crisscross and reach across my belly like a road map are signs that my belly made itself into a temporary home for each of my children before they were ready to come out into the world. The tiny bits of grey showing up along my hairline are a sign that I am no longer a child and have the experience that comes with age.

My friend Barb from Barb's Bookshelf, said it best in her post about True Beauty when she wrote,

True beauty is not simply what’s on the surface. When you feel good about yourself and who you are, when you carry yourself with confidence and self-acceptance, that makes you beautiful. Beauty is in the mind, not in the body.

(I've borrowed this quote from her before, because it is so appropriate and reflects something that I believe in very strongly.)

So are you accepting of your body as it is? Or are you waiting until you achieve that ever-elusive, perfect body?

3 comments:

  1. hmmm I frequently say to friends that I lifeguarded tooo many summers back in the "lets slather on babyoil" days to NOT BE WRINKLED.

    lottsa wrinkles :)

    and yet for me Id just not do botox or anything like it.

    Its who I am and its all indicative of life choices Ive made.

    and for me Id way rather invest that money in something ANYTHING else ;)

    skips off singing ALL THE WRINKLES LAAAADIES....

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  2. I am working on accepting my body the way it will be when the weight is gone. I don't remenber having a flat stomach, which I an sure I did, but I don't remember since I have been seriously overweight since my teen years. I am having WLS, but at 49, my skin will never be like it could have been had I not been fat.
    But, I will have to accept that. FOr now, I am looking at how it will look in clothes and trying not concentrate on the "naked" me.

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  3. I've really just come to peace with where I am. I try and take care of myself, but not obsess.

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