Dear Body,

I have a few things I need to say to you.

I've been horrible. First, I completely rejected you. I pretended you were a prison that I could never escape. I hated you. And everything I hated about you was my fault. I gave you too much of the wrong kinds of fuel and I never took you outside or did active things with you. Then, I grew angry with you when you did what bodies do, you stored the fuel. And you got soft and bigger and bigger and bigger. And I hated you. And I pretended you weren't part of me.

Then I changed. I learned what kinds of food worked best for you. I learned how to be active and make healthy choices. And together, we changed for the better. I learned that sometimes things like that hurt. And sometimes changing isn't fun.

But now I know that you aren't just with me all the time, despite constant abuse. You ARE me. I am you. I never took the time to see that you, my body, aren't just some mask I wear. You are the filter for my whole experience with the world. With you, I see and hear and feel and experience. And lately, I like being in this body so much better than I ever did before.

So Body, I love you. Just like me, you aren't perfect. You aren't symmetrical and sometimes you do funny things like spasm violently with a cold chill or run into obvious things like door frames. But I do love you. I love the way you carry me up hills and the way you pull in enough  oxygen to fuel my muscles. I love the way you look in my favorite foods. I love the way you forgive me.

I can't promise to always be good to you. Sometimes, I'll forget to put on sunscreen. Sometimes I'll eat foods that are too high in fat, sugar, cholesterol, or sodium. I might not drink enough water or drink things that are really just poison and expect you to filter it out of me and keep me alive. But most of the time I'll eat the right things and take care of you and protect you. And hopefully, together we can experience a lot more life together.

sincerely,

Me.