One of my inspirations, Dani, put a challenge on our Facebook page to write down 100 things that you are grateful to your body for. Here are mine:
1. My eyes - too see all around me
2. My ears - to hear music and laughter
3. My legs - they carry me everywhere and hardly ever complain
4. My arms - without them, I wouldn't have my hands ;-)
5. My hands - they hold, comfort, nurture, work, create, inspire.
6. My digestive system - I put it through a lot, and it usually treats me very well in return
7. My physical strength - It needs work, but my body will do ANYTHING I ask of it, and sometimes more.
8. My mind - it is the most powerful part of my body
9. The ability to think for myself
10. The ability to ignore others around me who may be 'secretly sabotaging' my efforts
11. My stubbornness - often I will set myself a goal and be damned if anyone tries to get in my way (usually, it's me!)
12. My determination to succeed, even though it takes more willpower than I have most days
13. My heart - it beats strong and sure, and makes me realise just how able I am.
14. My lungs - there are tar-free, and serve me well
15. My feet - I don't treat them well, yet they take me anywhere I need to go
16. My eyebrows - this one is a bit silly... they keep their shape really well, I almost never touch them.
17. My hair - it's a brilliant red. I will never touch the colour again now that I've realised just how magnificent it is.
18. My blisters - a sign of hard work
19. Calluses - another sign of hard work
20. My sense of taste - I would be lost without it... lol
21. My positivity - recently appearing out of nowhere, I'm loving a positive outlook on this whole thing.
22. Hugs.
23. Snuggles with nieces, nephews and my man. Not at the same time. That might get awkward.
24. Being able to help others
25. I'm tall.
26. My ass is amazing. I've got a big, perky one and I want it to stay!
27. I almost never get sick. Thank You Immune System!
28. DOMS - if my muscles hurt, I know I've worked hard. I want to cry when I get out of bed some days, but..
29. I can get out of bed every day. My body is amazing.
30. Scabs, scratches, sores. They all heal pretty quickly.
31. Emotions - I have many. Occasionally, they get the better of me and I make a fool of myself, but mostly they do not control me.
32. Patience. Being a cali teacher for littlies, I need a lot of this. Most of the time it's there!
33. Kindness. I try. I'm not always successful.
34. My knees - they often creak and click when under pressure, but they've never failed me.
35. Sweat. It's brilliant - a sign of hard work, a sign that my body is working well and it's systems are functioning correctly.
36. My knuckles - they crack magnificently :-)
37. Periods. While they suck at the time, it's pretty fascinating to be a woman, to have all these bodily processes going on that will one day sustain life.
38. Thirst. My body now craves water. Pure, icy cold, water.
39. Hunger. True hunger, not just cravings. It's strange to wake up in the morning and realise that empty feeling is actually hunger - I don't feel it often and it's surprising when I do. Might be best if I feel it more!
40. Dancing. My body will do anything I ask of it out on the floor. It might take a while for the steps to feel natural, for the movements to flow, but then something amazing happens and suddenly I'm alive.
41. Walking. It's a simple pleasure.
42. Running. Not so simple, not so pleasureable. But an achievement.
43. Cycling. I love the wind in my hair. Bugs in my mouth, not so much.
44. Swimming. I haven't drowned yet, but I won't be winning any races.
45. Driving. I don't think any more. I just drive. It's relaxing.
46. My toenails. They've learned to grow properly now, not ingrown all the time like they used to.
47. Talking. I do it a lot.
48. Work. Typing, talking, numbers, spreadsheets, repetition. This body handles it all with ease.
49. Stress. I don't get stressed very often - my body knows how to calm me down, it's like my heart beats out of my chest screaming STOP! STOP! STOP! and I do. I stop and breathe, and think.
50. Calves. They look pretty good right now. Especially on the old demi-pointe. Quite defined.
51. Boobs. I want more, but they're enough. I'm sure they'll do what they were designed for soon enough!
52. Teeth. No trouble. Never any trouble. Just a bit furry sometimes, but then we brush and we're all good.
53. Bones. They're strong.
54. Sleep. My body sleeps well. I'm almost always well rested, when I remember to go to bed at a decent time!
55. This is hard. There's that determination again.
56. My vision - it's quite good. Glasses at work, but nothing too major!
57. My hearing is awesome.
58. My voice - I can't sing, but I can certainly speak freely. It's a privilege we all take for granted.
59. I am woman, hear me roar!
60. I relate to song lyrics.
61. I cry. When I've had enough, I cry. It's a relief.
62. I gather strength from others.
63. The strong women in my life encourage me to be me. To stay true, to stick up for myself and what I believe in.
64. I can listen to another's opinion or view, see how it differs from mine, accept the differences, and still be happy within myself without pushing my views or opinions on them. Sometimes that process takes a while, but we get there in the end.
65. Passion. It's a wonderful thing.
66. Sexy times. Yeah, thanks body for that nugget. Laugh, cry, make a fool of yourself... it's all part of love!
67. Hindsight. It's brill.
68. The heart's ability to mend itself, and open itself up again to be broken. This little gamble paid off, big time.
69. Love. Notice how I left that for number 69? Not sexy times, love. Bahaha. It's all good.
70. Quads. They're strong. They're confident. They know their job and they get it done.
71. Poo. It's fascinating. It's wonderful. I try not to touch it and I definitely don't eat it, but it's amazing how what goes in comes out.
72. Wee. Not so fascinating, but still thankful-worthy. If it's dark, I need to drink more. If it hurts, something's wrong. If it's bright, I'd better hope I had Berocca that morning or there is something DEFINITELY wrong.
73. Biceps. They're in there somewhere, and I'll find them. But for now, they're content just pulling the forearm as required.
74. Imagination. Sometimes I amaze myself with my imagination, my mind wanderings, my daydreams.
75. Compassion. I am one compassionate lady.
76. Fingernails. They grow. They don't break often. I usually chew them before they get the chance to break.
77. Cuticles. I don't know what their purpose is, but they don't give me much grief so I guess I'm thankful for that.
78. Appendix. It's good. So far.
79. Freckles. Mum used to tell me they were sun kisses and I felt sorry for the kids who didn't have them. I have got so much love from the sun over the years I'm surprised we're not getting married and having babies.
80. Lips. I've got nice lips. That reminds me, I need Blistex.
81. My wrists. They're delicate little things. They give me hope that one day, the rest of me will be delicate as well and I'll finally match. Except my ass. That can stay!
82. Hips. They crack so satisfyingly sometimes - a moment of pain but it's so worth it.
83. Nose. It's there, giving me all sorts of exciting info - smells, snot. Wonderful.
84. Body hair. I'm thankful that most of that is blonde. Hardly any maintenance required. Go team!
85. Belly button. It's there, doing it's job. Whatever that is. Yep, I'm thankful for that.
86. Serious time again. My brain. Gosh, it's got a lot to worry about. I never hear it complaining though. Thanks for that!
87. Collarbones. They've snuck onto the scene in the last year or so, and they're starting to really look nice.
88. Ribs. Once, when I got a new pillow, I ended up with a twisted rib. That hurt. But it taught me to never spend too much money on a pillow, and now my ribs and I are all straightened out.
89. Stomach. Mine surprises me sometimes with just how much I can fit in there.
90. Fat. I'm thankful for all the extra that I have. This might sound strange, but I would not be the person that I am today without the fat.
91. My determination to get rid of the fat. It's there. It's not always the strongest voice in the crowd, but it's always there at the end of the day.
92. Flexibility. Yeah, I can do the splits. It's not all it's cracked up to be, but it's nice to ask your body to do something and have it respond with an 'I can do that!'
93. Core strength. There's not a lot there, but my body sings when I remember to work on it.
94. Smile. Never underestimate the power of a smile.
95. Facial expressions. I don't have that many, but they're fun all the same.
96. Listening to my body - I used to ignore a lot of what it was saying to me. Not any more!
97. Mindfulness. I'm working on being mindful, it's a struggle sometimes, and I slip, but I'm still thankful for it.
98. Meditation. It's hard to switch off. I do enjoy it though, sometimes when I'm taken through a guided meditation on my iPod from the nice lady I like to call Maggie, because she's Scottish.
99. Reading. For pleasure, for work, for whatever. I'm thankful that I can.
100. Humour! If you don't laugh, you'll cry. I hope you laughed... I did!!
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