Happy New Rear!!

Hope you all had a lovely New Year's Eve.  I did my partying yesterday and, after starting the day with yoga, fruit, vitamins and water, with a brisk walk thrown in, I ran smack dab into a wall of beer. I somehow convinced myself that the livelihood of the brewers relied solely on my consumption of their product.  No word of a lie, the beer tasted like pot.  What next? Hash brownie smoothies??  So forgive me if this posting will seem brief in comparison to the previous two but the sound of my fingers on the keyboard is so loud...

Today, let's talk about compassion.  Towards oneself.

As you look at your body, you might find yourself wondering who the stranger in the mirror is.  And then, with a heady mixture of anger/sorrow/revulsion/back to anger when you realize hey! that ain't no stranger it's *gasp* ME!, you just might start to punish yourself.  You may do it by treating it poorly - a bucket of chicken with no sharing, a pitcher of margaritas (again, solo), cigarettes, drugs.  You may even do some physical injury to yourself. 

Stop.

Wait.

Look again.

Those flabby arms have hugged people when they needed you.  Sometimes, the hug came whether they needed you or not.  The thunder thighs have moved very fast when a friend called you because their boyfriend dumped them.  As you lay on the couch, your child may have joined you and rested their tired head on your hip and fell asleep in the triangle of you legs. 

It may not be the prettiest vision in the mirror, but it has served you and others.  And rather than treat it with derision, cruelty, shame and hatred, why not just treat it.  Period.

Let your lungs fight for breath as you work out for the first time in ages.  At least you're breathing.  Sweat yourself silly as the toxins and poisons you've been feeding it find their way out of your body and unto your t-shirt.  Wince with the pain of stretching your muscles and be glad that you can feel the pain.  That you can feel.  And have a good old laugh when you wonder how the hell you're gonna get the raspberry stains off your hands after polishing of a pint of 'em.  Screw it, don't use your hands at all, go in face first.  They're berries, bestest food ever! 

Now look at your body again.  Soften your eyes.  That's you looking back, the you that people love and care for.  Follow their lead.

I left the gate and fell on my ass yesterday, but my big behind cushioned the fall.  Today, I'm going to rest, drink tea, read a book, rent a movie, and make soup to repair my damaged body.  It's the least I can do for it.

Now go get the berries...

Lili LaLarge