Self-Love Reflections: Gifts of the Body

Posted: January 23, 2011 at 12:04 pm

Do you remember the little song “my body’s nobody’s body but mine…”? We each have a unique body gifted to us. That gift values more highly than anything else in our possession. Or that we could ever possess. Yet, we tend to see our body as rags instead of riches.

What would do you if you didn’t have your hands to craft words on paper (or screen)? What would you do if you didn’t have arms to embrace a loved one? Legs to run? Eyes to experience the beauty of this world? Picture life without any single part of your body.

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Our bodies bring us so much opportunity and life. We must cherish the bodies we have, with all their quirks, soft spots, or pains. They do not deserve the abuse which we expose them to on a regular basis, both physically and mentally.

Even if they can’t do all the things we hope or look the way we desire, our bodies still require love. If you had someone in your life who supported you in every way imaginable, wouldn’t you want to show that person your appreciation? Our bodies are that entity. Let’s show them a little bit of thanks today and every day.

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I thank my heart for working hard endless hours of the day and night to pump blood through my body. Without you, heart, I would not be here to play with my daughter, love my husband, and share my message.

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I thank my smile for the kindness it shows. You may have a small gap in the front two teeth and you may not be the whitest, but that makes you (and me) unique and beautiful. I thank you, smile, for the ability you have to display my care and happiness.

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I have many more things to thank on my body, but now I want to hear yours. Reflect on your body’s gifts. Then declare… “I thank my ______”. Share at least one in the comment section to inspire others of the truly miraculous gifts of the body.

Quote to Reflect On
We don't stop at our skin.  ~Dolores Krieger

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43 Comments to “Self-Love Reflections: Gifts of the Body”
  1. Kelly says:

    I thank my legs. They might be chunkier than most, but it’s because they’re stronger than most. They don’t help me to run fast, but they help me to run long. And they helped me to recover fast and furious from my marathon. I ran 3 miles just four days after 26.2 and felt great! 🙂

  2. Wonderful post, Tina!
    We really don’t appreciate our body as much as we should. While we may take a “break,” our body never does!

  3. Today I thank my body for giving me curves for my husband for hold onto.

  4. Lisa says:

    I thank my legs for carrying me through all of my workouts.

  5. I’m thankful for my belly. It may not be super flat nor will it ever be (no matter how many crunches I do or how many miles I run), but it’s part of me. It shows that I am real. I don’t need to go to drastic measures like liposuction to fit the “ideal’ look of a woman as dictated by society.
    (This is the first time that I have actually said that outloud and it feels GREAT! :D)

  6. I thank my hands because they allow me to touch, feel, and hug my beautiful daughters. I just love sitting beside them and rubbing their arm with my hands or playing with their hair. Besides that our hands allow us to work, play, feed, mend, ….

    love this post
    xoxo

  7. Camille says:

    I thank my legs for carrying me over countless miles and through two marathons. They may not be supermodel thin, but they are damn strong!

    I bet Giselle can’t run a marathon on those spindly things! 🙂

    • Tina says:

      Hahaha! So true on the Giselle thing.

      • Katie says:

        Aw, bashing skinny people is the same as saying something mean about fat people.

        • Tina says:

          Very true. I didn’t mean for it to be bashing…because I don’t have anything against models’ physiques and they certainly have plenty of their own physical strengths. I guess in my mind I was praising Camille for recognizing her personal strengths even without a model’s or traditionally praised as beautiful/perfect body. I see how it can easily come across differently though. Thanks for addressing it. 🙂

  8. Lauren says:

    Awesome message! I thank my body & legs for giving me the strength for my first spinning class yesterday, and my arms to hug people with.

  9. I LOVE this post Tina! You are amazing!!

    I thank my mind. It’s there to motivate me, and get me through life with a positive and happy outlook 🙂

  10. LindseyAnn says:

    I’ve kicked up my yoga quite a bit in the last few weeks, and I have to say that it has caused me to definitely see more positives in my body.
    For one, I thank my arms. I have beautiful arms. I can make them look so strong and graceful, even if the truth remains that I am clumsy.
    I thank my legs. I have amazing leg muscles. They’re not size 0 like I’m told they should be, but seeing the definition in my quads, hammies, and calves when I’m in Warrior 3 is so much more amazing than a sewn in number on some jeans.

    Thanks for bringing this back. I think it’s really needed this time of year, when there’s a bombardment of “lose the weight now!” ads on television. I know I’m feeling a bit sucked in, so it’s nice to take a second and thank my body rather than want to change it.

    Happy Sunday!

  11. lindsay says:

    what a beautiful post, as always. I love my smile too. Hopefully it shares a lot of warmth and love to others!
    LC

  12. Beautiful post today! Makes my day!

    I thank my hands. I am able to help myself by making great dinners and keeping the home clean and help others by teaching them how to read and write.

  13. I thank my eyes for being able to see life everyday – the sun, my family, the trees in the spring. Beautiful

    I thank my heart for loving God and loving others – for being compassionate and caring towards others.

    Love this post Tina!

  14. Katie says:

    I thank my legs for letting me be able to walk , exercise, jump, dance, and I thank my eyes to see, I see how beautiful life is : )

  15. Erica says:

    SO true! I am realizing this more than ever now. I want to thank my body for being strong enough to support me & the baby!

    • Tina says:

      When I first became pregnant with M so much of my outlook changed. It was crazy the newfound appreciation I had for my body!

  16. i love this post! i thank my smile – with it i can show my happiness and joy to those around me. a simple smile works wonders to spread those feelings & it’s so easy! 🙂

  17. laura says:

    Aww, this is such a great post Tina!
    I have to say im greatful for my legs, for taking me places and allowing me to do the things I enjoy. 🙂

  18. Therese says:

    I thank my feet for supporting me through 12 hour work shifts and many miles of running!

  19. Kristina says:

    I thank my legs. They will never be “skinny” they are strong…just the way I built them!

  20. Jess says:

    I’m so glad this series is back, I totally need it lately – the constant reminder that we’re beautiful and strong and healthy, rather than being lured into thinking negatively next time I’m having a “moment” of self-doubt. Thank you! Let’s see? Today I’m thankful for my heart, for constantly pumping blood through my body, keeping me strong and healthy and MOVING during a particularly tough spinning class today 😉

  21. Anna says:

    I thank my legs for carrying me through my teaching days and helping me keep up with my students.

  22. Melie says:

    you are so right! if we just take a couple of minutes to think about it, we have so many things to thank our bodies for! Today I really like my feet, for being the perfect fit for almost all shoes on display at almost all stores. It’s so much fun to just go in the store and try every shoe that catches your eye just like that! Now if only I could buy those louboutins. haha! 🙂

  23. What a great post! Today I am thankful for my eyes that allow me to see everything is beautiful world has to offer!!,

  24. I thank my legs for allowing me to get from place to place, run and do yoga. They may not be long, lean and perfect but they work quite well!

  25. I thank my freckles for making me unique and for helping to remind me to always wear sunscreen! 🙂

  26. Kristi says:

    I thank my hands for being able to touch, feel, write, type, cook, hold, eat, and all the many other things my hands do that I take for granted.

  27. What an inspiring and beautiful post, doll!!

    I love my eyes and my smile as I hope they give some sparkle to others in their days 🙂

    xxoo

  28. I love this post Tina! I am just catching up on all the posts in the past few days because I was on vacation without internet!

    I love my hands, because they allow me to serve other people.

  29. I thank my arms… they may be thick, but they are strong, and they allow me to provide relaxation and relief through massage and really affect change on people’s lives!

  30. LOVE this. I love my gap too. 🙂

    I thank my arms for having the strength to hold my growing children when they need my comfort.

  31. Wonderful post Tina! We do need to appreciate our bodies for all they give us day in and day out. We must forgive our body’s imperfections just as it forgives us for an occasional mistreatment. Reminds me of my post entitled, “Looking Forward to An Imperfect New Year at http://www.doctorcarriesbetterliving.com/2010/12/looking-forward-to-imperfect-new-year.html

    Thank you for your wisdom.
    http://www.doctorcarriesbetterliving.com

  32. I thank my legs for getting me where I need to go!

  33. I thank my hands for allowing me to write, cook, work, touch, and hold the hands of someone else.

  34. Alyssa says:

    Great, inspirational post. LOVE IT!!
    I thank my eyes because they allow me to see the loves in my life and to watch changes that take place:)

  35. Heather says:

    I thank my ankle for strengthening up over the last few months during physical therapy to recoup after a bad sprain. On Saturday, I went for my first run since September and it felt great! No pain at all and such a feeling of accomplishment!

  36. Geraldine says:

    I have a gap too!
    I thank my legs for being strong enough to carry me on my runs and powerwalks. Although I’ve had my issues with the size of my thighs and calves in the past (who hasn’t?:-)) my strong legs allow me to get out and exercise in the fresh air.
    Thank you for this post!

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