It’s us, your biggest fans.
We know you better than yourself.
You scratch your finger when you’re nervous.
You pinch your belly when you think it’s getting bigger.
You look away when what you think will cause a fight.
We speak to you in pain, in knee spasms from the accident.
A reminder to slow down.
The sprain from your thumb, never healed from the ski trip.
A reminder to look ahead.
Those newly found back pains that won’t let you sit still.
A reminder to keep moving.
The truth is, you weren’t always kind to us.
You found empty calories that filled the void,
so you binge-ate until the pain of loneliness
subsided for a while.
You found false hope in cigarettes,
so you chain-smoked until you pushed
the guilt of missed deadlines back at bay.
You found confidence in spirits,
so you let your own drown in a sea of whiskey.
But we’re proud of you now.
You slowed down your breathing and tuned your ears to our voices.
And all along, we were rooting for you.
We, your arms that carried nephews into outer space.
We, your legs that ran marathons and burned holes in dance floors.
We, your hands that created worlds and played in concerts.
We, your skin that felt Moroccan summers and Canadian winters.
We, your eyes that witnessed Pacific sunsets and Atlantic sunrises.
We, your mouth that’s charmed a few too many smiles.
We, your heart that doesn’t know how to shrink.
We, your mind that can solve anything its own.
We’ll always have your back.
I’ve always had a complicated relationship with my body.
Still do.
The pic above was when I felt at peace with my flaws and all.
We are at war with our physical appearance.
We’re not lean enough, thin enough, big enough, strong enough,small enough.
Right now, with noise of perfection drowning out, let’s fill the void with acceptance.
Soul on Fire 