As I am thinking about this weekend…Galantine’s Day, pre-Valentine’s Day, Super Bowl Sunday, I have a lot of thoughts going through my mind. The first thought is “What fool decided to plan a big football game the day before Valentine’s Day”? What a recipe for disaster! Super Bowl Sunday used to be the first Sunday in February until the NFL decided to add an extra game. Big mistake if you ask me. I hope all the ads remind men to not forget tomorrow’s ubiquitous Hallmark Holiday. And as much as I know it’s a Hallmark Holiday, it seems somehow important despite the fact that I have not been in a romantic relationship on Valentine’s Day for most of my adult life. It seems so important that the 2nd Generation Hallmark Holiday, Galantine’s Day, is becoming just as popular, even among women who are in a romantic relationship. I like the idea of Galantine’s Day. It is a way to celebrate my platonic girlfriends. My two marriages latest a total of 6 years combined, but some of my relationships with girlfriends have last 30 years or more and are still going strong. I am so grateful for my female friendships! Thank you to all of you ladies for being among my girlfriends! But this Galantine’s Day weekend, I’d like to focus on my very best friend in the whole world: my body.
My body and I have been together literally since the day I was born. Funny, eh? It’s true, and yet so often we don’t even think about this important relationship. Without our bodies, we would have no way to exist in this world or to move about within it. This weekend, I would like to offer you some love quotes for your body:
I look at you and see the rest of my life in front of my eyes
Your body is the vessel that literally carries your through each day. Its health and well-being allow you to move throughout the world each and every day. It is no surprise then that your body’s health and well-being have a direct impact on what you will be able to accomplish with the rest of your life. Think about that for a moment whenever you are faced with a decision to take care of yourself.
The most powerful thing anyone can say to us is what we say to ourselves
Growing up, I believed that my body was not as strong as other people’s bodies. Looking back on that, it was, of course, a self-fulfilling prophecy. By not participating in physical activity, I kept my body from developing strength and stamina. One of the greatest lessons I learned later in life was that just like I could train my brain with school and books and learning from others, I could train my body as well. Walking, hiking, running, cycling, swimming and strength training all helped me develop the strength and stamina that I envied in other people. All I had to do was try. And yet, by convincing myself that that trying would be futile, I prevented myself from learning this lesson earlier in life.
Treat your body like it belongs to someone you love
According to author Heidi Priebe, “to love someone long-term is to attend a thousand funerals of the people they used to be. But it is not our job to hold anyone accountable to the people they used to be. It is our job to travel with them between each version and to honor what emerges along the way.” We all have good days and bad days. So do our bodies. Check in with your body just like you would with a dear friend. And if your body (your very best friend and life partner, after all) needs something, be sure to attend to that need. Because that is what good friends and partners do.
Women in Motion (WIM) Run the World 