PHENOMENAL

Today is Body Positive Day! And...I'm just remembering. doh. Despite having blogged that I would post today to check in with what I did to recognize this day, I completely forgot. No excuses, really. I just didn't remember.

We were too busy just...doing. Cleaning the house, reading books, riding bikes, making popsicles. It was a Sunday, you know?

And then, as it sometimes happens, my brain kicked in and I remembered. I looked back on my day and realized, you know what, despite not having remembered to actively be body positive, I totally was. My body lifted laundry baskets, had ticklefests with my son (trust me, a lot of muscles are involved in those),  rode a bike, climbed up and down stairs numerous times, and I even squeezed in a little yoga.

Ever since I became pregnant and had my son, I've changed the way I look at my body. I totally am on board with the thought that our bodies are awesome and capable of amazing, incredible things. They can run marathons, climb mountains, swim oceans, birth babies, and more. (I've only done 1/4 things I mentioned. But I imagine my body could do the other ones if only my mind had any interest).

Sure I have those days. You know the ones. Where nothing seems to fit, every mirror obviously has it out for you, and you don't even feel comfortable in your own skin. But those days pass, and as I age they seem to be happening a lot less (or is it that I care less than when I was younger?)

So, let's take today, and tomorrow, and the entire week, month, year and celebrate our bodies for what they can do and for how awesome they are!

There's also no way I could write a post about celebrating our bodies (ourselves) without including this poem:

Phenomenal Woman

by Maya Angelou

Pretty women wonder where my secret lies

I'm not cute or built to suit a fashion model's size

But when I start to tell them 

They think I'm telling lies. 

I say, 

It's in the reach of my arms 

The span of my hips, 

The stride of my step, 

The curl of my lips. 

I'm a woman 

Phenomenally. 

Phenomenal woman, 

That's me.

I walk into a room 

Just as cool as you please, 

And to a man, 

The fellows stand or 

Fall down on their knees. 

Then they swarm around me, 

A hive of honey bees. 

I say, 

It's the fire in my eyes 

And the flash of my teeth, 

The swing of my waist, 

And the joy in my feet. 

I'm a woman 

Phenomenally. 

Phenomenal woman, 

That's me.

Men themselves have wondered 

What they see in me. 

They try so much 

But they can't touch 

My inner mystery. 

When I try to show them, 

They say they still can't see. 

I say 

It's in the arch of my back, 

The sun of my smile, 

The ride of my breasts, 

The grace of my style. 

I'm a woman 

Phenomenally. 

Phenomenal woman, 

That's me.

Now you understand 

Just why my head's not bowed. 

I don't shout or jump about 

Or have to talk real loud. 

When you see me passing 

It ought to make you proud. 

I say, 

It's in the click of my heels, 

The bend of my hair, 

The palm of my hand, 

The need of my care, 

'Cause I'm a woman 

Phenomenally. 

Phenomenal woman, 

That's me.

from And Still I Rise by Maya Angelou

copyright © 1978 

What's phenomenal about you? 

I'll start. My hair is all sorts of phenomenal...

...and I also love that I have the strength to bike my son to/from school/camp. 

Add yours down below!