Or, How I Learned To Stop Worrying and Love My Body
Thanksgiving is the most obvious time to do it, but I'm pretty proud to say that I give thanks every other day of the year, too. In fact, I consider all the ways in which I'm thankful every night before bed. It's usually the same things that I would guess most people I know would be thankful for: my caring family, supportive friends, education, food, ability to live my life freely, etc. Something that never, not once, has come up in these nightly thanksgivings? Thanks for my body.
Now I try to preach and practice self-love and it may be odd that for all my years of putting pictures of myself on the Internet that I still don't feel entirely great about my body. My body is not the same as it was when I started this blog, but that doesn't mean it's better or worse. I still get to wear clothes I love and do things I want to do. I've mentioned in a few other posts (here, here) how I wish my thighs were smaller, but then I realize that they help me do so much, namely horseback riding.
While I'm lucky enough to ride my own horse several times a week at home, I can never pass up an opportunity to do a ride when I'm on vacation. Here's another #GratitudeAttitude moment for you - I've ridden in Iceland, Montana, Ireland, Scotland, Portugal, and Canada! Crazy. The thing I love about horseback riding - besides, you know, the horses - is that you're constantly adjusting yourself. Each horse is different, each terrain is different, and I love that I can improve my riding in so many ways. My body works hard when I ride - don't think for a second that it's not a tough sport! When I played softball growing up, it was mainly about the arms and a bit about the legs. In riding, you work everything. Shoulders, abs, back, thighs, calves, feet, hands...! My body has to be in sync with this several thousand pound animal body, which is pretty amazing when you think about it.
I realize that today is Cyber Monday and every other blogger will be posting about the sales. Trust me, I've gotten some of my Christmas shopping done through them too already! But for some of us it's disappointing to see all these great deals and then not be able to get them in our size. All bodies are amazing and everyone deserves to feel their best in their own body the way it is! I was excited to see the #GratitudeAttitude movement started by Dia & Co, a company that is dedicated to helping women find clothes they love, no matter if you're a size 2, 12, or 22. This season they're encouraging us ladies to share what makes our bodies so amazing by posting with the hashtag #GratitudeGram. I'll be joining in with something like this:
Nailing a jump with my horse always feels like a rush! (Even though looking at that gif right now I see several things to nitpick about my style, haha.) I'm thankful for opportunities, like my past vacation in Ireland, to ride in beautiful places and for my body for allowing me to do what I love.
Now buy those clothes, book that vacation, eat those Thanksgiving leftovers and take a minute to give yourself a lil love. You deserve it.
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