I was at a LulaRoe party recently, trying on fun skirts and dresses. In LulaRoe, nearly all the patterns are unique, so if you love a pattern but it isn’t your size, most of the time you are out of luck. One of the prettiest skirts was a small size, but fit me alright. One of the girls who admired the item but couldn’t fit into it said “you just have the perfect body!” While I was flattered and accepted the compliment, I also couldn’t help but feel she was comparing her own body to mine. I didn’t tell her in that moment that I’ve had a mastectomy, multiple reconstruction/implant surgeries, that I can’t feel either breast, that one of them will always be misshapen and scarred, or that my spunky haircut is essentially a product of a drug that made me lose all my hair. While I’ve come to terms with all this personally, I wouldn’t wish it upon this honestly beautiful girl who said she wanted to lose a few pounds.
A friend of mine who excels in sports and seems constantly admired by men recently shared with me that she is in continuous pain because of the way her bones are formed. Another friend who runs, bikes, and hikes faster and better than me, and who builds and creates beautiful things with her hands, had to have a hysterectomy. One friend and her husband, who are practically model status, are so far unable to have children. A friend that is light-years better at the piano than me (not hard to do) and is always going about doing good is allergic to nearly everything.
Nobody’s body is perfect! When we compare, we not only miss our unique design, but we miss out on learning from those around us because in the end, it is our “imperfections” that force us to find our strength, that stretch us past our limits, that make us who we are.
A friend of mine who excels in sports and seems constantly admired by men recently shared with me that she is in continuous pain because of the way her bones are formed. Another friend who runs, bikes, and hikes faster and better than me, and who builds and creates beautiful things with her hands, had to have a hysterectomy. One friend and her husband, who are practically model status, are so far unable to have children. A friend that is light-years better at the piano than me (not hard to do) and is always going about doing good is allergic to nearly everything.
Nobody’s body is perfect! When we compare, we not only miss our unique design, but we miss out on learning from those around us because in the end, it is our “imperfections” that force us to find our strength, that stretch us past our limits, that make us who we are.
So, I’m kind of late reading this 😂 but I love it! This is SO true! Thank you
ReplyDelete