Before getting into today’s 30 DSLR post, I want to take a moment and declare my gratitude for all the warm comments and support I felt from you after last night’s post. I do not know where those dark forces came from to try to make me doubt this initiative. Going into this project, I only placed on myself the expectation to write what I felt strongly about. Any amount of support, participation, and reach from that would come as a blessing.

I still feel just as strongly about the 30 Days as I did when it first grabbed hold of my heart. If possible, I would never want it to stop and to carry on reaching people in some way because I believe in it so much. I don’t know what got into my mind to cause me to fret over such trivial matters. I have overcome it and realigned my focus. Now let’s get to what brings us here and what we all need – an uplifting moment. After all, a big reason I shared all those thoughts last night was to show that I need this just as much as anyone else.

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Last week, we began the first installment of the weekly "Gifts of the Body” posts. To view that post – click here. I decided that every week needed a day to take a closer look at our bodies and appreciate the blessings they provide us. Critiquing our bodies comes easily to many of us but finding praise in our physical attributes can pose a challenge. For this reason, I believe we must make the effort to change how we view our bodies.We need to shift the qualities with which we define them from aesthetic ones to purposeful ones. Hopefully, after completing 4 rounds of this exercise and having to come up with 12 different parts of ourselves we recognize as a gift,  we will grow to love our bodies more and more. Are you in for today’s challenge?

Today I will focus on three parts of my body I recently have questioned appearance wise thanks to the body changes from pregnancy.

My Legs

Thank you legs for giving me the ability to walk and move! Not everyone has this luxury and I need to recognize exactly how much you give me. You support me and carry me through life. Not only that, but the two of you are pretty strong too. You endure thousands upon thousands of squats, lunges, cardio hours, and kicks. You still hold me up even when I try to tear you down. You help me carry out a part of my life I could not live without – fitness. Thank you, legs.

My Butt

You reflect my mom and my sister…and even miss M. We all have the same badonkadonk and that fact alone has provided us many laughs and bonding over the years, like shaking it to Sir Mix A Lot. Without you, my legs wouldn’t have the capacity to serve me either. You play an integral role in my life. You also have a way of alluring my husband and that’s never a bad thing. Even when larger than I like, you still fill out a pair of jeans nicely. Most importantly though, you are a part of me and I love you.

My Breasts

You add strain to my back, get all tender, and overwhelm my body for a reason. To one day feed my child, just as you blessed me with the opportunity to feed M. You reflect the battle scars of one of the most beautiful things I have ever done – pregnancy. I also thank you for being the only place I tend to get those “battle scars” of stretch marks. Thank you for also giving me curves and displaying my body’s feminine beauty.

I hope all that wasn’t too uncomfortable to read. 😉 Take a few moments to think about 3 new things you appreciate about your body. I would love to hear about any of them!

Quote to Reflect On
Beauty in things lies in the mind which contemplates them. ~David Hume

The first question I ask myself when something doesn't seem to be beautiful is why do I think it's not beautiful. And very shortly you discover that there is no reason. ~John Cage

*To be added to the email list and receive links to the posts in the morning, please let me know of your interest in a comment below.

*For more 30 Days Inspiration visit these bloggers who shared their personal 30 DSLR messages and let me know if you share anything relating to the 30 DSLR on your blog!

• Lauren Sheenan
• My Wellnest
• New Adventures in Eating & Life
• Coffee Is My Carrot
• Adventures in Weight Loss, Cooking, & Life
• Lindsey Ann Live
• Respectfully Captivating
• Making A Change
• Ulterior Harmony

Good morning! Let’s start the day off right with another positive message. Taking the time early each morning to write these helps me and I sincerely hope reading them helps you in some small way too. Getting your thoughts from your comments brighten me throughout the day. We’re one week into our 30 Days. Let’s keep going strong!! 😀

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Did you know that something in this world seeks to torture us with its allure because it knows we can never reach it? That this monster tries to overtake our lives and bring us down because it can always allude us? That evil little monster hides in the ideal of perfection. Say it with acid on your tongue. Perfection.*shudder* Perfection. *hisssss* What a tricky little devil.

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Perfection somehow seems like a reality possible of achieving, yet the exact opposite is true. Perfection acts as a mirage in the desert…you think  you can get to it and then revel in contentment, until it disappears before your eyes and leaves you stranded in frustration. Then, sadly, moments later we will seek it again. Search high and low in this world and I guarantee you that you will never find perfection.

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Sadly, I believe all of us know perfection does not exist, but still continue to search it out like some sort of Holy Grail. We focus on what lacks in our bodies, our wallets, our lives, our families, our relationships, etc In the process of emphasizing the missing pieces, we create bigger and bigger holes in our own self worth and happiness. Our simple act of desiring perfection ends up leaving us with even less of what could be called a “perfect” life because we miss out on life. How’s that for irony?

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The quest for perfection acts as a drug. We want more, more, more to go higher, higher, higher but in reality we simply crash and burn with less and less. Less hope. Less strength. Less love for ourselves and others. Less energy. Less perspective. Less…until eventually we scramble for any scrap that can signify purpose or joy in our lives. The quest for perfection kills souls.

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To break free from the chains perfection binds us in, we must not only recognize that perfection does not exist but also that we don’t even want it. Imagine the vibrancy life would lack in a world of perfection. Our pains make our joys brighter. Our weaknesses make our triumphs over them greater. Our unique physical attributes make us all the more beautiful. The areas of our lives that we may wish to improve on make the areas we take joy in all the more sweet. The absence of perfection gives us a meaning to live. With perfectly sculpted and manicured lives, the passion and purpose for going out and experiencing life would diminish. What’s so perfect about that?

In what things do you try to seek perfection? Why do you even want it? How does desiring perfection actually hurt that area of your life? What would letting go of the hope for perfection do for you? Look for more reflection from me relating to this topic in this afternoon’s post. Writing this today was a mild reality check/slap in the face for me as well.

Quote to Reflect On
A man would do nothing if he waited until he could do it so well that no one could find fault.  ~John Henry Newman

Once you accept the fact that you're not perfect, then you develop some confidence.  ~Rosalynn Carter

Unless I accept my faults I will most certainly doubt my virtues.  ~Hugh Prather

*To be added to the email list and receive links to the posts in the morning, please let me know of your interest in a comment below.

*For more 30 Days Inspiration visit these bloggers who shared their personal 30 DSLR messages and let me know if you share anything relating to the 30 DSLR on your blog!

• A Fit and Spicy Life
• Making A Change
• Miranda’s Jeans
• The Process of Healing 
• Two Feet Ten Toes
• Ulterior Harmony
• Adventures in Weight Loss, Cooking, & Life
• Mangiare Buono, Vivere Bello (Eat Well, Live Beautifully)