My body lies over the Ocean, my body lies over the sea, my body lies over the Ocean, so bring back my body to me
I am fully aware they that it is ‘bonny’, not ‘body’ but after 30+years of singing it wrong unknowingly, I am not going to change, and it fits. Like when you love someone and you give them a piece of your heart (body?). Bleurgh. Bring back my body to me.
I have had to strip my body of all its hormones before I can finally say I love my body. Or maybe the appreciation of being lucky enough to surgically lower my cancer risk (I have BRCA 2 gene), and survive the extremely safe operation that I totally worked myself up about. I even bought my children a fake ‘Mr Whippy’ machine in case I died, at least they’d have a summer full of yummy ice cream, and if I survived then visitors could enjoy a yummy treat - I survived (clearly) but has only happened twice in six months. Attempts are still working progress.
I love my body.
My body talks to me, it tells me to drink water, go for a walk, do twisty dance moves stretching parts of my body, sleep and ‘not to’ drink wine, often suggesting a pleasant 0% gin and tonic. I listen, and I do. I feel peaceful, calm and content.
I spent most of my life not even acknowledging requests from my body. But I hear them now. Maybe it is the removal of my ovaries, or maybe the medical cannabis….or both!
The years of fat shaming my body, giving it scars (emotionally and physically), hating how it looked, being disgusted at it.
I feel sad that I ever felt any of those feelings.
My body did not deserve it.
I have Multiple Sclerosis, so my poor body has heard me shame and be rather unpleasant to/about it over the past years (diagnosed in 2011). But now I can see that my body desperately wants to do things, but certain parts, at certain times, struggle to function. My body is trying its best - clumsily mucking things up, or feeling mortified when I remember that I have forgotten something - always ten minutes too late, or an embarrassingly long amount of time which you wished you had never remembered.
I have decided from now on I will do morning greetings with my body and ‘check in’ with each part.
Good morning kidneys
Kidneys: WATER water. I need WATER
Liver: No wine tonight.
Cheeky little organ.
Skin: moisturise
Brain: your skin is so dried up it will turn flakey
Always really on brain to add the drama
I feel connected and in complete synchronisation with myself. And with plants.
I am having a lovely time
How did I get through life ignoring my body?
What is most impressive is that I know that I will definitely have done the exact opposite of what my body would have asked.
Every stinking time.